The Detective and The Nurse
by ladypatpatriot
Summary: A modern day Elizabeth and Jack story. They live in Boston; he works for the Boston PD and she is a nurse at a busy ER and also teaches at the hospital nursing school.
1. Chapter 1

Nurse Elizabeth Thatcher was sitting at the nurse's station in the emergency room of Boston City Hospital. The ER was slow for the moment, so she was taking some time to work on the upcoming holiday schedule for the nurses. This was one aspect of being the nurse manager for the ER that she hated. Normally making the schedule was easy but everyone wanted to have time off for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. She tried to be fair and rotate the employees as best she could but the holidays were a busy time for hospitals, especially in emergency rooms. People were always having cooking accidents such as burns or cuts, people would get sick from the food they were eating or some people would be suffering from depression.

Elizabeth had already put herself down to work the night shift on Thanksgiving and day shift on Christmas day. Her family always ate dinner early on Thanksgiving and she would have plenty of time to get back to Boston from her family home in Newton. For Christmas, the family was having their dinner and gift opening on Christmas Eve before going to midnight mass. Her parents were going to Europe on the 26th and wanted to spend the 25th packing. Her parents started a line of luxury hotels when they got married and they were going to be spending several months away opening new hotels across Europe. Her older sister Viola was going with them because her fiancé, Sir Lionel Bedford lives in London. She was going to spend some time getting to know his family and planning her wedding. The first hotel to have a grand opening was going to be in London and Viola was planning to have her reception there.

Elizabeth was lost in thought about her wealthy family. There had been some tension between her and her parents and older sister about her choice of career. They didn't understand why she wanted to be a nurse, especially one working in a public hospital's busy emergency room. That was undignified for a wealthy Thatcher heir. They would have preferred if she had to be a nurse to work for a plastic surgeon. The thought of that made her ill. She wanted to become a nurse so she could help people, not be at the beck and call of rich people wanting to have face lifts and tummy tucks. Only her younger sister, Julie understood her dream to be a nurse. In fact, Julie shared her dream and was currently enrolled in City Hospital's nursing program, where Elizabeth was one of the teachers.

Elizabeth's thoughts were interrupted when someone came running into the ER asking for help. She looked up and saw Detective Thornton rushing in, with a man she recognized as another police office. She stood up and rushed over to him. "Det. Thornton, what's wrong?" She couldn't help but noticed how handsome the Detective looked.

Jack was relieved to see Nurse Thatcher has spotted him. Even as worried about his friend as he was, he couldn't help but noticed her beauty. He felt his heart skip a beat. He had been wanting to ask her out on a date for a long time but could never get the courage to do so. _Stop it, Thornton! You are here to get Lee checked out, not to pick up a date._

"Nurse Thatcher, Lee has been sick all week with what appeared to be a cold. In the last couple of days it got worse."

Elizabeth motioned for him to come sit at the desk so she could get Lee registered. "Continue, Detective. What has happened in the last two days?"

"He called out sick, which is very unusual for him. I have seen him come to work in a blizzard while suffering from the flu. When I called him yesterday, he was coughing badly. I decided to stop by today to bring him soup and I found him passed out on the floor. I felt his forehead and he was burning up. I managed to get him to wake up and I brought him here, but as you can see he is out of it." Jack reached into his pocket and pulled Lee's wallet out, looking for his health insurance card. When he found it, he handed it to Elizabeth. Their hands touched and he felt a tingle go down his spine.

As she reached for Lee's insurance card, she felt a spark when her hand touched Jack's. She looked into his eyes and felt her heart skip a beat. She could tell by the look on his face that he had felt it too. She found herself wanting to ask him out on a date. _Stop it this minute, Elizabeth! His friend is sick and needs medical attention. Do your job!_ "Thank you." She said to Jack. He also handed her Lee's driver's license and she began entering his information into the computer. A few minutes later, she stood up to check his vitals. After she was finished, she sat back down at the desk.

"He definitely has a fever, Detective and his pulse is rapid. I am going to bring him back to an exam room now. Would you help me?"

"Of course. Thank you for getting him right away. I was sure we would have a long wait."

"It's been a strange day today. I was actually able to get started on some of my paper work before you came in. It's unusual for me to be able to work on it here. I end up taking it home most of the time so I can work uninterrupted." She stopped in front of an exam room and opened the door. She held it open so he could bring Lee in.

"Thank you, Nurse Thatcher." He said as he got Lee settled on the gurney.

"Please, Detective, call me Elizabeth." She said and smiled at him.

Oh how he loved that smile, he thought to himself before answering her. "Only if you call me Jack."

"Ok. I am going to see which doctor is available to examine Lee. I will be right back." She left the room.

Jack sat down in a chair next to the gurney and thought about the interaction he just had with Elizabeth. He felt his heart skip a beat again just thinking about her. He heard Lee moan and felt guilty for thinking about himself like that when his friend was so sick. What kind of friend was he?

"Just ask her out already." Lee whispered, startling Jack.

"Oh, Lee! I thought you were sleeping."

"Nope. My head hurts so I am keeping my eyes shut. But back to you. I know you like her and have been wanting to ask her out for a long time. Just do it already. I think you will make a great couple. Do it today before we leave."

"I can't do that. What will she think of me for asking her out while my friend is sick?"

"I imagine she will be flattered. I can see the connection between the two of you. I see the way you look at each other. I am sure she would say yes."

Jack was about to reply when Elizabeth walked back into the room with a doctor behind her. She saw that Lee had his eyes open. "Jack, Lee. This is Dr. Hammond."

"Hello, gentlemen." Dr. Hammond said. He walked over to the gurney and began his exam of Lee, with Elizabeth make notes on Lee's chart. Dr. Hammond eventually said that Lee had pneumonia and he wanted to admit Lee to the hospital for a couple of days so he could get better. Jack sat with Lee while Elizabeth went to make the arrangements to get Lee transferred.

"Jack, ask her what time she gets of work. Offer to take her to dinner." Lee said.

"Lee, shouldn't you be sleeping or something?" Jack didn't want to discuss this anymore. He felt awkward about asking her out now. It just didn't seem like the right time. Then again, he was feeling more confident about asking her out. Maybe he should do it.

Just then Elizabeth came through the doors with another nurse. She was a pretty blond and Lee noticed her right off, even though he was so sick. She was very attractive.

"Ok, gentlemen." Elizabeth started to say. "My shift is about to end. This young lady standing next to me is Rosemary and she is taking over for me. She is going to see that you get transferred upstairs, Lee."

Lee couldn't believe his luck or how he could be feeling attracted to Rosemary when he felt so bad. He gave her the best smile he could muster. "Thank you, both of you. Or rather all of you since Jack brought me in here to be checked out."

"All in the line of duty, so to speak." Elizabeth said and Rosemary nodded.

"Is there anything I can get you, Mr. Coulter?" Rosemary asked.

"Nothing at the moment, thanks. You can call me Lee."

"Of course. Call me Rosemary or Rosie." She smiled back at him.

"I hope you feel better soon, Lee." Elizabeth said. "I will come by to check on you tomorrow."

"Thank you." He replied and he watched the two lovely nurses leave his room. "Jack get out of here. You don't need to hang around until I get my room. Go ask that pretty Elizabeth Thatcher out on a date."

"Lee, don't you ever give up?" Jack shook his head at his friend. "Get some rest and don't flirt too much with Rosemary." He stayed a couple of minutes longer, then left the room after it appeared Lee had fallen back to sleep.

As he walked towards the doors to leave, he saw Elizabeth. She had changed her clothes. She was now wearing a pair of jeans and a black shirt. Her hair was hanging loose down her back instead of in the pony tail she had it in while she was working. Even dressed so casually, she was gorgeous. Everything in him was screaming he should go ask Elizabeth out. He started to walk over to her when she noticed him and smiled. She moved to meet him.

"Hi again!" She smiled at him. "Lee kick you out?"

Jack laughed. "Yes. He didn't want me hanging out with him."

"Nice guy." She shifted her feet, looking a little nervous. "Listen, I know this is probably not the best time for this, but I have this feeling I should just do it. If you aren't busy, do you want to go get something to eat with me?" When he didn't respond right away, she realized she did something wrong. She wasn't used to asking guys out. That was Julie's department. "Ok forget I asked that. This isn't the right…"

Jack interrupted her. "I would love to go get something to eat. In fact, I was just about to ask you if you wanted to go on a date with me some time but I thought you might think I was callous and shallow for asking you out while Lee is so sick." He couldn't believe how lucky he was that she ask him first. He couldn't wait to spend some time with her.

"Absolutely not, Jack. You are a great friend for him. Not many people would give up part of their day to bring a sick friend to the hospital." She gave him that bright smile again, the one he loved so much even after only seeing it a handful of times.

"Thank you for saying that, Elizabeth." They started for the door. "Where would you like to go?"

"Are you a hockey fan? I sure am." She pointed to her shirt.

He then noticed that the black shirt she was wearing was a Bruins shirt. He couldn't believe his luck. Elizabeth was a Bruins fan like him. "I love hockey, especially the Bruins." He smiled broadly, giving her a good look at his dimples.

"Great! There is sports bar up the street. They have great apps and sandwiches. Want to go and we can watch some of the game when it starts?"

"I would love to." He opened the door for her and they began walking towards the restaurant.

 _Yes, another new story this weekend. I have some writer's block on my other stories as to where to go next. I find I can fix the writer's block by writing something else. I have been mulling this idea around in my head for a few weeks. I thought it would be interesting to give Elizabeth a different career but then I thought she should still be a teacher too. Hope you like it._


	2. Getting TO Know You

Jack and Elizabeth walked into Bean Town Pub, the sports bar she told him about. They were quickly seated and given menus. A waitress came to get their drink orders, an iced tea for Elizabeth and a Coke for Jack. Both had to work the next day and neither one felt they should be having alcoholic beverages.

"Have you ever been here before?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, it's my first time here. The menus options look good."

"The food is great. We often come here after a really bad day at work to unwind."

"What do you recommend?"

"Well when I come here I am usually with my co-workers. We like to order a bunch of appetizers and share. I have tried the burgers too and they are excellent."

"Ordering apps sounds good to me. I like being able to try different things all at once. What are your favorites?"

"I think they have the best chicken wings. I like bar-b-que and teriyaki. I love the cheese fries and toasted ravioli." She liked her lips just thinking about the tasty food.

Jack felt his mouth watering but he wasn't sure it was all because of the food. "That all sounds great. Let's order that."

"OK." Elizabeth replied just as their waitress returned to check on them. Once their order was placed, Elizabeth sat back on her chair. "So Detective Jack Thornton, what other sports teams do you like?"

"I like the Pats and the Sox."

"Cool! I love the Pats! I am usually glued to the TV on Sunday afternoons if I am not working. I also play fantasy football."

"Really? Me too, on both counts."

"It's too bad the season has already started. We could join a league together and see what one of us is the better manager." She grinned at him and he noticed a sparkle in her eyes. It let him know she plays for fun. "Are you working on Sunday? I have the day off."

"No I am not working, unless a case comes in that needs immediate attention. Would you like to get together to watch the game? It should be a good one; they are playing the Steelers."

"Why Detective! I thought you'd never ask! I would love to. How about you come over to my place? I can make us some apps to enjoy during the game."

"I would love to come over but don't go to any trouble. We can order a pizza or something."

"I don't mind, Jack. I love to cook."

"Ok, if you are sure." She nodded. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well the first thing I should tell you is that my family owns Hamilton Hotels, the luxury hotel chain."

"I thought I had heard that somewhere. What made you decide to become a nurse and not go into the family business?"

"To be brutally honest, I don't like the lifestyle. I like earning my living my way, not with some token job in the family business. I was never interested in it. That's my older sister's area. Her fiancé is British and after the wedding she is going to stay there and run the new hotel that is being opened in London early next year." She paused and looked at him. He seemed to be hanging on to her every word, so she continued. "Ever since I was ten and a Girl Scout, I have wanted to become a nurse."

"What made you decide that?"

"I was on a camping trip with my troop. My best friend, Melanie, tripped on a log while we were hiking and she fell down a hill. I had the first aid box since one of the badges I was working on was the first aid badge. I checked her out and got her bandaged up. For the rest of the weekend anyone who had an injury would come to me. I loved it. I loved being able to help people with their aches and pains."

Jack loved watching her tell her story. He could tell how much she loved being a nurse. "I can imagine your parents were not too happy with you deciding to become a nurse. You said something about a token job in the company."

"You are right. When I was deciding where I wanted to go to college, they wanted me to go to a school that had an excellent business program. I wanted to go to nursing school." She chuckled a bit. "You should have seen their faces the day I told them I had been accepted to Boston City Hospital's Nursing program."

"They weren't pleased I take it." Jack commented as the waitress set down their food. He picked up a wing and took a bite. "Yum! These are good."

"I am glad you like them. And you are correct; my parents were not pleased. We had a huge fight. They told me that if I insisted on being a nurse I should go to one of the area colleges to earn my degree and then get a job in a plastic surgeon's office."

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "I can't imagine you working for a plastic surgeon."

"I told them I wanted to work in an Emergency Room. They blew up. They told me if I insisted on going to school the way I planned, they would not pay for it."

"What did you do?" He asked as he tasted one of the ravioli. It was great too.

"I had planned on them not being happy about my choice of careers. When I applied for a scholarship and they accepted me. You see, in my essay I had written about the differences between my parents and me. They scholarship committee loved it."

"That's wonderful. It's great that you had things planned out and went for your dream." He reached over and squeezed her hand. "You are an inspiration."

Elizabeth blushed, not just from his comments but also from him squeezing her hand. "Thank you, Jack." She took a sip of her drink. "Once I entered nursing school, I really liked the emergency room and once I graduated, I was given a job at Boston City. And the rest they say, is history. Now, what's your story, Jack Thornton?"

"Well, I am originally from Manchester, NH. My father was a cop, my mother, a school teacher and I have one brother, Tom. I guess you can say, unlike you, I wanted to follow in the family "business". My grandfather was also a police officer. I almost changed my mind; my father was killed in the line of duty." He felt himself getting choked up, like he always did when talking about his father.

Elizabeth reached over to touch his cheek. "I am so sorry, Jack. How old were you?"

"I was thirteen. I was a troubled teen for a while until my mom sat me down and made me realize that I could still become a cop if that was what I wanted but I shouldn't let what happened to Dad cloud my decision. From then on I worked as hard as I could to get into the police academy here in Boston. I always wanted to work in Boston."

"I am glad you did. We may never have meet if you hadn't become a Boston PD cop." She smiled that smile again.

Jack felt his heart flutter when he saw her face. He knew just at that moment he was falling in love with her. "I agree, Elizabeth."

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Elizabeth looked done at her watch. "Oh heavens! It's eight already. I need to be getting home. I have an early shift tomorrow."

"I do too." He pulled his wallet out and looked at the check the waitress had left. He pulled out a credit card and placed it on the tray the check was on.

"Jack, you don't have to pay for dinner. It was my idea after all." She reached for her wallet in her purse.

"Put that away. I got this, since you are making food for us on Sunday."

"Ok, that's acceptable." She laughed and he joined in. He loved her laugh. Who was he kidding? He was loving everything about her.

Soon, they were walking out of the restaurant. Elizabeth turned to Jack and said. "I had a wonderful time tonight. I can't wait until Sunday when we can get together again."

"I had a great time too. What's is your shift tomorrow? Maybe we can go out tomorrow night?" He asked, hopefully.

"My shift ends at 4pm but I almost never get out on time. I can make sure I get out as quickly as possible because I would love to go out with you tomorrow." She smiled.

"Great! My shift is over at 5pm. How about I pick you up at 7? That should give us both time to get ready. I would like to take you to a nice restaurant near my place."

"That sounds wonderful. I am looking forward to it."

"Me too." He had been wanted to kiss her all night but wondered if it was too soon. He decided to go for it and leaned closer to her face. She looked surprised but she moved her lips towards his. It was a gentle, sweet kiss and both of them felt their hearts soar. "I have been wanting to do that all night." Jack confessed.

"Me too." She giggled. "I don't want to leave but I should get going. The morning comes awfully fast."

"It does. I don't want to say good night either. May I see you home?"

"Sure if it isn't out of your way."

"I don't mind. Where do you live?"

"I have a condo near the Garden."

Jack looked at her, surprised. "I live near the Garden too." They started walking towards the nearest subway station talking about where they lived. Jack's place was only a couple of blocks from Elizabeth's. It wasn't long before they arrived at her place. Jack kissed her good night outside her building, then went home, all the while thinking about what a wonderful night they had spent together. He fell asleep with a smile on his face, dreaming about her and the date they were going to have the next night.


	3. Waiting For Tonight

Jack walked to his apartment with a spring in his step. He was so happy. He was finally getting to know the woman captured his heart so many months ago. She was everything he was hoping she would be. He found himself thinking about what she said about the life she had come from and the life she lived now. Not many women from her social stature would want to do what she had accomplished. She was amazing.

As he walked into his apartment, he decided he would text her, just to let her know he had a great time with her tonight and that he was still thinking of her. He pulled out his phone and sat down on his favorite chair. _Hi! Enjoyed our time together tonight. Can't wait until tomorrow!_ He hit send and then went to his bedroom to get ready for bed.

Elizabeth was changing into her pj's, a pair of leggings and a camisole when she heard her phone single a message. She hoped it was from Jack. She couldn't get her mind off of the wonderful evening they spent to get. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the message was from Jack. She quickly sent off a response. _Had a great time tonight too. Looking forward to our dinner tomorrow night. Have a wonderful night!_ She climbed into bed and shut off her light. She fell asleep with Jack on her mind and then he entered her dreams.

Jack was already in bed when his phone chirped. It was a message from Elizabeth! He smiled at her response, then settled in to go to sleep. When he closed his eyes, he could see her beautiful smile. He had wonderful dreams about her.

Elizabeth groaned when her alarm went off. She had been dreaming about her and Jack. She sighed and pushed the covers back to get out of bed. She went to her closet to pick out her clothes for the day but she found herself looking for a dress to wear on her date tonight. _Snap out of it, Elizabeth. You have to work today!_ She grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt, then went to take a shower. Forty-five minutes later she left for work, hoping today would be a slow day, then she cursed herself for thinking that. She may have just jinxed herself. As she was riding on the subway, she decided to text Jack and wish him a good morning. After she pressed send, she wondered if she may wake him up. He did not need to be at work for a couple of hours. She smiled when she got an immediate response.

The morning went by slowly for Elizabeth. She tried to keep busy by working on paperwork and restocking supplies but she kept thinking about Jack. Rosemary noticed that Elizabeth wasn't acting like herself.

"Elizabeth, what's going on? You seem distracted. Are you thinking about Detective Hottie? I know you two went out last night."

Elizabeth giggled a little. "Oh Rosemary, I should know better that to keep something like this from you. Yes I am thinking about Jack. We had a wonderful time last night and he asked me out tonight. I wish the day would go by faster so I can go home and get ready."

"I am so happy for you, Elizabeth." Rosemary chewed on her lip for a moment, then decided to confess something herself. "I actually had a nice talk with Office Lee while we were waiting for his transfer upstairs. He asked me out after he gets well. He will be my Officer Hunk!"

Elizabeth laughed. "I am so happy for you. Maybe after you have your first date, we can double with Officer Hunk and Detective Hottie."

"Sounds like a plan!" Rosemary said, then looked up towards the door when a man in a torn shirt and ripped jeans came running in.

"Help, please help! I just heard a baby crying in the alley next to the hospital. I think the baby is in a dumpster." He turned and ran back out, which Elizabeth and Rosemary following.

Elizabeth turned back and yelled to another nurse. "Emma, page Dr. Sullivan!" Elizabeth rushed out the door, quickly scanning the ambulance bay for the man. She didn't see him but she did spot Jack. "Jack!" She called. "We need your help!"

Jack could tell something serious was going on. "What's wrong?" He quickly followed Elizabeth.

"A man just came in the ER yelling that he heard a baby crying out here in the alley and that he thought the baby was in a dumpster. Rosie and I ran outside but he was gone."

"Oh my God!" Jack whispered and ran faster to the alley. As he did, he called in the situation to headquarters.

As Elizabeth and Jack reached the alley, they heard the crying. They quickly realized the baby was not in the dumpster but somewhere nearby. They frantically search cans and boxes before Elizabeth found the baby in a box, wrapped in newspaper. Elizabeth quickly removed the paper and began examining the baby.

"Oh, Dear God, she's a newborn." Elizabeth gasped. Rosie and Jack ran over to her and looked at the infant girl. "The umbilical cord has been tied off with a dirty shoelace."

"How can anyone do this?" Rosie said, even though she knew. This wasn't the first baby abandoned at their hospital and she won't be the last.

Elizabeth stood and quickly walked back into the ER and saw Dr. Sullivan running towards her. They brought the baby girl to an exam room. Jack stayed outside to wait for the officers who would be taking the report. They arrived five minutes later and after Jack briefed them of the situation, he went into the ER to wait for word from Elizabeth. She came out of an exam room about thirty minutes later. Jack stood up and walked towards her.

"Well, the baby is doing as well as can be expected. We don't know how long she was out there. We are hoping she didn't catch a chill from the cool morning we had." Elizabeth sighed. "Hospitals are supposed to be a safe haven for people who don't want to raise a baby, but more often than not, they leave the babies outside."

"That's a shame. I will be praying for her." Jack said. He noticed a sad look in Elizabeth's eyes. He wanted to hug her, but he knew that wouldn't be right. They were both working. He would have to give her an extra special hug tonight. Instead he decided to ask her if she could take a break with him.

"I would love to, Jack." She replied and went to tell Rosie she was leaving. "The cafeteria here has pretty good food."

"Sounds good." He replied but truth be told, the food could be terrible and he would be happy. He was spending a few minutes with the woman he was beginning to think of as the love of his life. He followed Elizabeth to the elevator and soon they were walking into the cafeteria. She had already eaten her lunch but decided to get a piece of cheesecake and a cup of coffee. Jack picked up a ham sandwich and a root beer. Soon they were seated at a table.

"I should tell you, Jack that this doesn't happen that much, but when it does it takes a lot out of those of us working."

"I can understand that. I feel the same way when a child goes missing."

"We have hard jobs, Detective. Working with the public like we do."

"That we do, but it can be rewarding."

"Most definitely." She smiled then, the first one he had seen since he arrived at the hospital. She was about to say something else when her beeper went off. She looked at it then turned her eyes back up to his. "I'm sorry, Jack. I have to get back to the ER. There was a multiple car crash on 93 and we are getting the bulk of the victims." She stood up from the table. "I will see you later."

Jack got up as well. "Definitely. I am looking forward to it."

"So am I." She replied, the surprised him with a kiss on his cheek before she walked to the elevator. Jack was still standing there in a daze when the elevator doors shut. He shook his head to bring himself back to earth, then decided to go stop by and see Lee.

 _Next chapter will be their date!_


	4. The Date

The rest of the day passed quickly for Elizabeth. The car accident victims kept her busy. When she finally had a chance to glance at the clock, she was surprised that she only had twenty-five minutes left of her shift. She decided to spend the remaining time doing some of her never ending paperwork instead of taking another patient. Most days she worked over her shift; she was determined to make sure toady was not one of those days.

She made it home about forty-five minutes later and immediately went to her bathroom to start water for a bath. She wanted to soak in a bubbles before getting ready. She needed to wash the day off of herself. She added vanilla scented bubble bath to the warm water. Soon, she was relaxing with her head resting on the back of the tub. Her thoughts were of the wonderful evening she was sure she would have with Jack. She an instant connection with him when they first meet months before when he was there to question a criminal who was a patient. From then on, the connection grew every time they saw each other until yesterday when they both decided to move things forward.

After her bath, she went to her closet to pick out a dress to wear. She finally decided on a blue dress with little white flowers on it. The color was almost the same shade as her eyes. She went back into the bathroom to apply her makeup and brush out her hair. She returned to her bedroom to get dressed and put on her opal jewelry. She had just finished putting part of hair up and then letting the rest fall down her back in wavy curls when she heard her buzzer ring. _That must be Jack!_ She thought as her heart beat faster in her chest. She quickly walked out to her living room to answer the buzzer.

"Who is it?" She asked, wanting to be careful in case the person wasn't Jack.

"Hi, Elizabeth, it's Jack."

"Come on up!" She said as she pressed the button to let him in. A couple of minutes later he was knocking on her door. She opened it with a huge smile on her face. "Hi!" She gave him a quick kiss on his lips, then turned to let him in the apartment.

He pulled her back so they could kiss a little longer before he pulled away and put his forehead on hers. "Hello, there." He replied. He then stepped back from her and was amazed at her beauty. The blue dress she was wearing really brought the blue out in her eyes. "You look beautiful!"

"Thank you, Jack." She smiled while she took in his suit. "You are looking very handsome." She kissed his cheek. She walked over to her hall closet to grab a jacket and returned to where Jack was standing. He took the jacket from her and held it out for her, wanting to help put it on. They walked out into the hall and Elizabeth locked her door. "May I ask where we are going to dinner or is it a surprise?

"I am taking you to one of my favorite restaurants. It's a little Italian place not far from where I live. They make all their pasta on site, every day." They had reached the door to her building and he held it open for her.

 _Wow! He is a real gentleman! Helping me with my coat and holding doors for me? He is one in a million._ "That sounds delicious, Jack. I have been in the mood for some Italian food the last few days. If we didn't have plans tonight I probably would have just picked up a pizza on my way home from work. This is much better."

"I usually just get take out from them and eat in front of my TV. I am looking forward to sitting down there with you and enjoying the food and the company." He took her hand as they walked.

Elizabeth felt her heart jump in her chest as he took her hand. She knew without a doubt that being with Jack was going to be special. She had never felt like this before. She wondered if it was possible to be falling in love so quickly. She squeezed his hand to let him know she didn't mind the hand holding.

Jack felt the squeeze and his heart did flips flops in his chest. He knew at that moment he was definitely in love. He didn't think he was an emotional person, but he felt a tear in his eye after she tugged on his hand.

They turned the corner from her street and Elizabeth saw her friend, Abigail walking out of her café. "Hi, Abigail!" She waved.

Abigail heard her name and waved back. She quickly crossed the street to talk to Elizabeth and find out who the man was she was with. He looked familiar. "Hello, Elizabeth! How are you?"

"I'm great." Elizabeth turned to Jack. "Jack, this is my friend Abigail. She runs the café over there." She pointed in the direction Abigail just came from. "Abigail, this is Detective Jack Thornton."

Jack held out his hand to Abigail, who took. "Nice to meet you. I have been in your café a couple of times. Your food is great." Jack said.

"Thank you, Detective. I thought you looked familiar; now I know why." She gave him a bright smile. She had this feeling her friend was out on a date. "I hope to see you stop in to eat again some time. I won't keep; I need to get home. Have a nice evening!" She started towards the nearest "T" station, but turned one last time to wave at the couple.

"I hope I didn't scare her away." Jack wondered out loud.

Elizabeth laughed. "No, Jack. You didn't. She is normally home by this time of the night. She must have had some guests taking their time eating. She needed to get home quickly to her foster kids, Becky and Cody."

"Foster kids?"

"Yes. It's kind of a funny story although the cop in you might now think so."

"Ok, now you got me intrigued." They continued their walk towards the restaurant.

"Well, Becky and Cody are on their own. Their parents are dead. They were staying in an abandoned home with no money or clothes. Becky got sick, so Cody took to going around to restaurants and stealing food so she could have something to eat. Abigail caught him pilfering her biscuits; she insisted he tell her what was going on. When he did, she had him bring her to where they were staying. She took Becky to the hospital to see me. Turns out she only had the flu but she needed to rest in a better place. Abigail took them both home with her. She contacted child services and became their foster parent."

"Abigail sounds like an amazing woman."

"She is. She is a great friend. I can't wait for you to get to know her better."

"I'd like that." Jack said as they reached the restaurant. He pulled the door open and let her walk through. Jack waved to the hostess. "Hi Maria! Table for two, please!"

"Detective Jack! It's good to see you! Come this way!" The hostess led them to a quiet table for two in a more secluded place in the restaurant. She waited by the table while Jack helped Elizabeth with her coat and push her chair in once she was seated. Jack then took a seat himself. Maria handed them their menus. "Hope you enjoy your meal." She said as she walked away.

Elizabeth opened the menu and began looking over the choices. There were so many delicious sounding meals she didn't know where to start. She looked up to ask Jack for suggestions when she spotted the specials menu. She pick it up to read it. "Look at this special, Jack!"

Jack looked it over. It was for a dinner for two with an appetizer and dessert to share and two glasses of wine for $60. Listed were the main course options they could pick from. His favorite was on the list. "That sounds good, Elizabeth. Want to try it?"

"Yes, please, Jack if you don't mind."

"Not at all. My favorite dinner and appetizer is on the list." He smiled, showing his dimples.

"What are they?" Elizabeth ask as she felt weak from seeing those dimples.

"The mozzarella appetizer is fantastic. It's not a fried stick like you get some places. I also love the lasagna, which is what I am going to get."

"Those sound yummy. I think I will get Chicken Marsala, but I would love a taste of the lasagna, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." He replied as their waitress came over to the table. They put in their order along with two glasses of white wine. "Elizabeth, I know you mentioned you have an older sister, but I got the impression that you two aren't that close."

"No we aren't. I am much closer to my younger sister, Julie."

"Another sister? Any other siblings?"

"No, just Viola, Julie and me." Elizabeth said as the waitress brought them their wine. She took a sip. "So what about you, Jack? You said you have a brother. Older or younger and do you have any more siblings?

"It's just Tom and me. He is younger than me, but back to you. What's it like being the middle child?"

"I always knew I was loved but there were times I felt invisible. I wasn't the perfect, do as you are told oldest daughter and I was the spoiled youngest sister. Although Julie has grown up a lot now and isn't so spoiled anymore."

"How so?"

"She matured a lot after I moved out and she was alone. She and Viola never got along, so she spent more time by herself. She started reading some of my nursing books I had bought myself. She developed an interest in nursing as well."

"Really?" Jack inquired.

"Yes. In fact she is enrolled right now in the same nursing program I took at City Hospital."

"That's great! I can just imagine what your parent's reaction was to that."

Elizabeth laughed. "It was the same as it was for me, but I had prepared Julie for that reaction. We had a plan already mapped out. Julie stayed with me for the first semester, then she moved into an apartment with a couple of her friends from her class."

"That's wonderful. She is almost as amazing as you are for having the courage to stand up to your parents." He praised as the waitress placed their appetizer on the table with two plates. Jack served Elizabeth a piece of the mozzarella and watched as she took a bite. She closed her eyes as she savored the taste.

"Jack, this is delicious!" She opened her eyes and said. "Thank you for what you said about Julie and me. You have no idea how many people think we are crazy for giving up the so called "good life" to work in a busy public hospital."

"That's a shame. I know there are plenty of wealthy people out there that are like you that don't flaunt where they have come from and want to help people." He took a bite of the mozzarella.

"Thank you, Jack. That means so much to me." She stood up from her chair and leaned down to give him a kiss on his lips. She felt her heart jump again at the connection between her and Jack.

Jack's heart resumed doing flip flops when she kissed him. The kiss had surprised him but brought joy to his heart. As Elizabeth sat back down, he looked into her gorgeous blue eyes and took her hand. "Elizabeth, I know we just started to get to know each other, but I have to confess something."

Elizabeth felt a shiver go down her spine as she looked into his velvety brown eyes. "What is it, Jack?"

"I think, no! I know I am falling in love with you." He carefully watched her face to gage her reaction. He hoped he hadn't said it too soon. What if she wanted to stop seeing him because of his boldness? He continued to stare at her and realized she wasn't mad at him; she had a look of love in her eyes that he was sure matched his own.

Elizabeth squeezed the hand he was holding. She couldn't believe what he just told her. He was falling in love with her! Her heart fluttered. "Jack, I am falling in love with you, too!" She watched his face break out in a big smile, his dimples flashing at her. Even though she was sitting she could feel herself getting weak in the knees. She felt tears forming in her eyes.

Jack frowned when he saw the tears. "What's the matter, Sweetheart? Why are you crying?"

"Oh, Jack! Don't you know sometimes women cry not only when things are sad but when they are happy too? Sometimes we cry for no reason at all!" She reached her hand out to his face. It then sunk in what he had just called her. "Did you just call me Sweetheart?"

Jack looked embarrassed. It had just slipped out of his mouth but he felt comfortable saying it. Maybe it was too soon for him to be using a term of endearment. "Ahh, yes I did. Is it too soon for that?" He asked nervously.

"Oh, no! No it isn't. I liked it but I wanted to make sure I actually heard you correctly or if it was my imagination. I am glad you said it, my darling, Jack."

His smile returned as he thought about the term she used for him. He liked it. He was about to stand up and go kiss her when their food was brought to the table. He would wait until later to give her a big kiss, to show her even more how much he cared for her.

Elizabeth thought Jack was going to come over and kiss her but their waitress came by with their dinners. They would have to wait until later. She hoped he didn't mind her being a bit forward. She was anxious to give him a longer kiss than what she had given him a few minutes earlier.

They smiled at each other, happy to be together before they started to eat their food. They were quiet while they ate, making small talk about how good the food was. Elizabeth loved her chicken and pronounced his lasagna was one of the best she tasted. She said the restaurant was her new favorite place for Italian food.

Elizabeth was full when she had finished half of her plate. The portions were huge. When the waitress returned to check on them and get their dessert order, Elizabeth asked to take the rest of her dinner home. "Jack, I am stuffed. Would you mind if we took the dessert to go? We could eat it at my place later."

"I would like that." Jack replied, happy that their evening would be continuing after dinner. He wanted to spend more time with her and wasn't sure if she had plans for tomorrow, Saturday. He didn't want to wait to see her again until Sunday.

They ordered tiramisu to go and while they were waiting for it and for their waitress to bring the check, he decided to ask her. "Do you have any plans tomorrow? I would love to get together again."

Elizabeth frowned a little. "I do, unfortunately. I do every Saturday."

Jack tried to keep the disappointment off his face. "Are you working?"

"Yes but not in the ER. I teach for the nursing program. Right now I am teaching classes one night a week, on Wednesdays, and on Saturdays during the day. The class starts at ten and ends at two. I usually work on correcting assignments for the rest of the afternoon. I tend to be pretty tired at the end of the day and I just relax watching TV or a movie. I would love it if you joined me." Her smile returned to her beautiful face.

His face lit up. "That sounds fabulous. What time can I come over?"

"About six is fine." She replied as the waitress brought their check and the dessert. Jack handed her a credit card before Elizabeth could protest. Soon they were walking back to her apartment, Jack with his arm wrapped around her waist. She enjoyed the feeling of his arm there. If felt like he was protecting her. Even though she was a woman who thrived on being able to take care of herself, she liked it. There was no reason she couldn't take care of herself but still feel giddy about having a Jack's arm protecting her.

When they reached her apartment, Elizabeth went to the closet to put her coat away. "Jack, would you like to have some coffee with our dessert? I was going to make some decaf."

"That sounds good. Can I help?"

"No thank you. Have a seat on the couch. I will be out in a couple of minutes." She called back from the kitchen.

Jack walked around her place, looking at pictures on a book shelf, as well as her book collection. One picture was of her with a young woman who looked a lot like Elizabeth. He wondered if the woman was Julie. He noticed pictures of people that he recognized from the hospital. He then took note of her book collection. She had romance novels, mysteries and medical books. He was about to look at one book, called "Call the Midwife" when he heard her heels clicking on the wood floor. He turned to face her and was one again taken by her beauty. "Hi!" He whispered.

"Hi, yourself." She motioned towards the books. "Did you see anything you like?"

He wanted to answer "yes, you" but knew it was not the right thing to say at that moment. Instead he replied, "I was going to look at the Midwife books you have. I was wondering if they were text books."

She laughed again. He loved her laugh. "No they aren't but that's not a bad idea. Call the Midwife is a true story about midwives in 1950's London. It was written by one of the midwives and it's now a TV show that airs on PBS. I have read the books and I watch the series." She grabbed his hand and walked over to the sofa, sitting down and patting the place next to her for him to join her.

"That's interesting." He said as he sat down. "I noticed you have some mysteries there too."

"I like to read though I don't have a lot of time for it between working in the ER and teaching. I try to put aside some time to read for pleasure on my day off."

"That's great." He yawned then, immediately embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I didn't mean to yawn in your face. I was up early this morning work on a new case and I guess the early morning is catching up with him."

"That's all right, Jack. I am tired too. Why don't we pick this up tomorrow night?"

"I would love to." He said as he stood up.

"I will save our dessert until then." Elizabeth said as she walked him to the door. Jack turned towards her, put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her, a kiss that left them both seeing fireworks after.

"Have a wonderful night, my sweet Elizabeth."

"Sleep well, darling, Jack!" She kissed him one last time before he stepped out and she closed the door behind him. She went in the kitchen to turn off the coffee pot, poured it into a carafe and put it in the fridge. She then went to her bedroom and got ready for bed. Once she had slipped under the covers, she found she couldn't sleep. Her mind was full of thoughts about her wonderful evening with Jack. She remembered him telling her he was falling in love with her. She finally drifted off, thinking about seeing him the next night. She had a smile on her face as she slept.

 _I like the TV series Call the Midwife and thought it would be nice to thrown it my story. I live in the Boston area; I grew up in a suburb of the city. The "T" stands for the MBTA, which is the public transportation system in Boston and surrounding areas._


	5. A Quiet Saturday Together

Elizabeth woke up the next morning feeling happier than she had in a long time. She had a great man falling in love with her and the feelings were very much mutual. For the first time since she began teaching, she wished she didn't have to go. She wanted nothing more than to spend the whole day with Jack. However, duty calls, so they say and she got out of bed to get ready for the day. She pulled out scrubs to wear, which is what the school expected the teachers and students wear to classes and slipped them on. She went into her bathroom to put on some light makeup and she braided her hair. She grabbed her bag and was out the door by 8:30, her usual time.

A few minutes later she was walking in the door to Abigail's café. She ate breakfast there every Saturday before going to teach. She walked up to the counter and sat down. Abigail was already pouring her a cup of coffee, which she quickly brought over. "Good morning, Elizabeth. You are looking happy today." She raised her eyebrow at Elizabeth.

"I am happy, Abigail. Very happy." Elizabeth looked around the café and noticed it was unusually empty. "Jack is wonderful. Abigail, I am falling in love with him and he is with me!" She said excitedly.

Abigail took her hand and squeezed it. "I am so happy for you. You deserve to have a good man in your life and even though I only talked to him for a minute last night, I could tell he is a good man. You looked great together."

"Thank you, Abigail." Elizabeth smiled. "So what's your special today?"

"How do strawberry crepes sound? I found a good deal on some fresh strawberries. It won't be much longer before I have to switch to frozen."

"Sold!" Elizabeth exclaimed and the two women laughed.

Abigail was about to leave to make the crepes when she spotted Jack coming in the door. "Looks like you are going to have some company for breakfast." She nodded towards the door then walked into the kitchen.

Elizabeth turned around and smiled. "What a surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you until later."

Jack walked up to her and gave her a kiss, then sat down next to her. "I felt like something different for breakfast and thought I would take a chance that I might run into you here. I woke up wanting to see you."

"Well, I am glad you did. I didn't even think of it last night but I should have mentioned it. I come here every Saturday before class." She took a sip of her coffee as Abigail returned to the counter with the coffee pot.

"Good Morning, Detective. Would you like some coffee?" She said as she refilled Elizabeth's cup.

"I would love some."

Abigail filled his cup then placed a menu in front of him. "I will be right back to take your order." She left to go take of a table what was getting anxious for more coffee.

"I have only eaten here a couple of times and usually just getting eggs. I feel like something different today. What do you recommend?" Jack asked her.

"Most everything is good here. I like so many things I don't know where to begin to give suggestions."

"What are you having today?"

"I am having the special. Today it's strawberry crepes."

"That does sound good but I think I might get the blueberry pancakes. They are my favorite. I don't know why I never tried them here before."

"They are excellent. One of my absolute favorites." She said as she squeezed his hand. "I can let you have a taste of my crepes if you want to try them."

"That sounds good." He held on to her hand. He was so glad he decided to take the chance that she might be here this morning. The thought of not seeing her until tonight bothered him. Then he started thinking, if this is how he felt today, what's it going to be like on Monday when they go back to work?

Abigail returned to the counter then and took Jack's order. "Elizabeth, I held off starting your crepes so that you could eat together."

"Thank you!" Abigail was such a thoughtful friend.

They spent the next half hour together enjoying each other's company and eating their breakfast. Soon it was time for Elizabeth to leave for school and Jack was going to help a friend rake leaves. They kissed each other goodbye with the promise of seeing each other that night.

Elizabeth was tired by the time she left the library after grading papers, but at the same time excited about her evening plans to see Jack. She stopped at the market on the way home to get what she needed for the game tomorrow and the liquor store for beer. It was after five by the time she got home and put the groceries away. She quickly ran to her bathroom and took a shower. She put on a pair of leggings, a Boston City Hospital t-shirt before slipping on a pair of ballet flats. The shirt was from last year's breast cancer walk. She went back out to the kitchen and grabbed her assortment of takeout menus, then walked to the sofa to look through them. After a few minutes, she pushed the menus aside; she couldn't concentrate. All she wanted was Jack here in her apartment, with his arms around her.

She didn't have to wait long. At precisely six, her buzzer rang. She jumped up and ran to the speaker, verifying it was Jack and let him up. She threw open the door and when he approached, she threw her arms around him. "I am so glad you are here, Jack. I missed you today." She let go of him and they both walked inside.

"I missed you too." Jack replied and pulled her in for a kiss. It was a sweet, gentle kiss. When they parted, he said. "I have been waiting to do that all day." The pair walked over to the couch and sat down. Jack put his arms around her, holding her tight. He then noticed the menus on the coffee table. "Where do you want to get dinner from?" He asked, nodding his head towards the table.

"I don't know yet. I just brought them over here for when you arrived." She didn't want to tell him she had been too excited about their evening to look at the menus. She felt she needed to keep a little mystery in their relationship. "I could go for some Chinese food."

"Me too." Jack agreed. He reluctantly let go of her to grab the menus. He found one for a restaurant that he often got food from. They decided what they wanted and Jack called in the order. As he hung up the phone, he called over to Elizabeth. "They are busy tonight. It could take an hour for the food to get here."

"That's fine. We can pick out a movie to watch. The DVDs are in the cabinet by the TV."

"Ok, I will take a look." He walked over to the cabinet and opened the door. He saw a lot of movies that he would consider "chick flicks." He saw some action movies and a couple of mysteries. Then his eyes fell on something called "Lost" It was a set and it looked like it could be a TV show. "Hey, Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"This set called "Lost". What is it about?"

Elizabeth walked back to the living room. "You never heard of it? The TV show?"

"No, I haven't. Should I have?"

"It was a huge hit for ABC. I guess you could call it a mystery/sci fi show. It was about a plane crashing on a mysteries island where weird things happen. The writers kept the fans guessing what was going to happen for years. I started watching it when I was in nursing school as a break from my studies. However, once I was working I didn't have the time to watch it. I haven't completed watching the show."

"Really?"

"Yes. Are you interested in watching it?"

"I would be but you said you have watched some of it already. Wouldn't you be bored?"

"Well, the thing about "Lost" is there are so many clues about what is actually going on at the island, that people miss them when the first watch the show. I have no problem watching it again to see if I can pick up on something I didn't see before. It would be fun to watch with you to see if your cop mind can figure out some of the clues."

Jack laughed. "Ok, then sounds like we have a plan. I'll go put the DVD in."

"Would you like something to drink? I have Sam Adams Octoberfest, wine, ice tea, juice and water."

"I will have a beer, please."

Elizabeth went to the fridge and pulled out two beers, then made her way to the sofa. Jack had the DVD running and turned to join her. "If you like the show, we should make a standing Saturday night date to watch it together. If you aren't working that is."

"I usually don't work on Saturday nights, unless we have a special case that needs to be working on quickly. Your idea sounds great."

"Of course we don't have to stay in every Saturday night. We may want to break things up or we may get invited to a party but it would be fun to know we have this to look forward to." She leaned over to kiss him as the show started. She curled up next to Jack and he put his arm around her.

Jack was hooked from the first moment of the show. Elizabeth kept stealing glances at him while they were watching and he was completely entranced with it. For a moment she wondered if it was wrong to watch the show since he stopped paying attention to her. Then she stopped herself. It was shallow to think like that. She was about to ask him something about the show when the buzzer rang. Jack jumped when he heard it, which caused Elizabeth to laugh.

"It's just my buzzer ringing. The food must be here." She stood up to go get her wallet.

Jack saw her and protested. "I got it, Sweetheart."

"Jack, you bought dinner Thursday night, last night and breakfast this morning. Let me pay for dinner." She walked over to her intercom and verified it was their food delivery. A few minutes later, they were back on the couch and watching the show. Once they were done eating, Elizabeth resumed her spot in Jack's arms, where they stayed for another couple of hours. Elizabeth started to fall asleep around 10:30, so they decided to call it a night.

"Jack, I would love to see you earlier than game time tomorrow. Would you like to come over around ten and have breakfast with me? I make awesome French Toast."

"That sounds wonderful. I would love to come over for breakfast." He pulled her into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss goodnight. "I hope that holds you until tomorrow morning, Sweetheart."

"Yes, it does, My Darling. I will have sweet dreams thinking about that kiss." She opened the door and paused to give him a sweet kiss of her own. "Sleep well, Handsome!" She waited until he started walking down the steps before shutting the door and locking it. She then retired to her bedroom with thoughts of Jack and the day they would spend together tomorrow.


	6. Halloween Scares

It was Wednesday evening, almost a week since Jack and Elizabeth had taken the leap of faith and started seeing each other. After spending the day together Sunday, getting to know each other more, they hadn't seen each other since. A new case had come in that was occupying most of Jack's time. He was working overtime and would only return home to sleep and change clothes. Elizabeth worked twelve hour shifts both Monday and Tuesday. She would come home and collapse. The couple did send each other text messages telling each other how much they missed each other.

Jack was elated to be finishing up his case. All he wanted to do was to see Elizabeth. He decided to surprise Elizabeth and meet her after class. He missed seeing her smile. Who was he kidding? He missed everything about her. He left the station around eight knowing that her class ended at nine. They both didn't have to be in at working until the early afternoon, so he was hoping they could go someplace to get a quick bite to eat. Even if all he got with her was thirty minutes, he would be happy.

As he made his way over to the education building next to the hospital, he passed by a florist cart. A bouquet that had various flowers of different colors and shades caught his eye. The sign in the bucket said "wild flowers." _Perfect. My heart has been beating wildly since we started dating._ He grab a bouquet and went to pay. He continued on his walk, reaching the building shortly before nine. He sat down on a bench just outside the entrance.

Just after nine, several people exited the building. They were wearing scrubs. They must be some of the students. Some of the young women noticed him and flirtatiously smiled at him. He weakly smiled back at them, then looked away. He was relieved when they quickly moved on. A few minutes later, he heard the door open again and this time, Elizabeth walked through. He stood up to greet her.

Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised to see him. Her face lit up in that big smile he loved so much. "Jack, I am so happy to see you!" She walked over and gave him a kiss. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too. I finished the case I was working on today and I missed seeing you so much that I decided to take a chance and meet you after your class. I was hoping since we both don't need to be into work until tomorrow afternoon, we could go get something to eat."

"I would like that. There is a place around the corner that's open 24 hours. We hospital workers love it there. It's great to be able get something decent to eat when working overnights. They serve breakfast all day and night. The blueberry pancakes are not as good as Abigail's but they are tasty"

"You know what? Breakfast sounds good to me right about now. Let's go!" He gave her another kiss, longer this time with more passion. The pair thought of nothing else but each other, until….

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?" A female voice interrupted the happy couple. They broke apart to look at the woman who was watching them

Elizabeth's face turned bright red. "I didn't know you would be here tonight."

"Didn't you teach me to work hard so I would do well in this program? I was at the library studying." The young woman shot back.

Jack looked between the two. The mystery woman looked familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out from where. He wondered why Elizabeth looked embarrassed. Surely she wasn't ashamed to be seen with him. _Stop it, Thornton! Stop letting your imagination run wild._ He took her hand in his, letting her know without words he would be there for her.

Jack holding her hand, brought Elizabeth back to the here and now. "Jack, I'd like you to meet Julie, my…:

"Sister." Jack finished for her. He held his hand out towards Julie. "Nice to meet you."

"Sis, I'd like you to meet, Detective Jack Thornton, my boyfriend." Elizabeth smiled as she said the words.

Jack felt his heart flutter at the way she introduced him. She wasn't ashamed of him. Seeing Julie just caught her off guard.

"Detective Jack, huh? Pleased to meet you too." Julie took his hand and shook it. "Are there anymore handsome detectives at your precinct? How about any brothers?"

Elizabeth gasped. "Julie Thatcher!" She scolded and sent her sister a scathing look.

Julie got the message. "Ok, ok. I will stop. I have to go anyway. We have a big test tomorrow and a bunch of us are getting together for an all-night cram session. I will talk to you later. Bye, Jack!" Julie walked away, stealing once last glance at her sister and her hunk of a new boyfriend.

Elizabeth shook her head at her sister's retreating form. "Sometimes I think she does things like that to personally annoy me, then I remember that all siblings are like that."

"You are so right. I feel that way about Tom too." Jack replied. "Is she really looking for a man? We could introduce her to Tom."

She sent him a look. "Jack, please! Don't encourage her." She started laughing and Jack joined her. "Let's go get something to eat." She slipped her arm through his and they began walking to the diner.

Two weeks went by and Jack and Elizabeth had gotten even closer. They spent every spare moment together. Today was Halloween and Jack had wanted to take her to a party that one of his cop buddy's was having, but Elizabeth was working the night shift, along with Rosemary. Rosie and Elizabeth always worked the night shift on Halloween so that their co-workers with children could have the night off to take their kids trick or treating. They wanted Jack and Lee, who Rosemary had been seeing a lot of, to attend the party but both decided they would work together on a case that had fallen into Jack's hands. Someone has been going around the area hospitals and raping women who either in comas or under sedation or strong pain medications. Both men were concerned for the nurses in their lives. Even though the pattern showed the perp only raping women who couldn't defend themselves, it didn't mean hospital employees couldn't come into contact with him. As of right now, the rapist had not hit Boston City, but the men knew it would only be a matter of time before he did.

Elizabeth and Rosemary were cleaning up an exam room that had just been vacated by some children who had been sick from eating too much candy. As they worked, they talked about the "hospital rapist" Their men had warned them to be on their guard while they were at work. Even if they hadn't been dating cops, they would have kept their eyes open.

"I hope they catch this guy fast and before he strikes here." Rosemary said. "I know our special men in blue feel the same way."

"I know. This whole situation is freaking me out. I have been having nightmares about it. I dream that I am taking care of a patient and he walks in and knocks me out. When I wake up, he is raping the patient but I can't get up to stop it. The dream ends there because I always wake up." Elizabeth walks out of the room with Rosemary behind her.

"That's scary. Have you told Jack about your dreams?"

"No, I haven't. He is worried enough about this case. I don't want to burden him with my silly dreams."

"If you say so, Elizabeth but I think Jack would want to you tell him. He seems like he is a good listener." Rosemary said as they approached the front desk. They heard the radio going off, letting them know an ambulance was coming in. The paramedics were bringing in a woman who had been in a car accident and was unconscious.

"Rosemary, go make sure Trauma one is ready. I will meet the ambulance." Elizabeth commanded. Rosemary quickly walked away to the trauma room ready

They ambulance arrived a couple of minutes later. She quickly entered the information on the patient into her tablet then rushed the patient into trauma. Dr. Hammond arrived and began his examination. He ordered some tests but based on what he had seen so far the woman was brain dead.

"Elizabeth see if you can locate her family." He said and quickly walked out of the room.

Elizabeth grabbed the woman's purse and looked for her wallet. Inside the wallet, she located the patient's license. The patient was listed as an organ donor. Elizabeth also found a card that listed emergency contacts. She left the room to go to the front desk to make the call. The patient's family member, was a grown son who was living in Chicago. He started to cry when she carefully broke the news. While they were on the phone, he was able to book the last flight out of O'Hare that night. He would be arriving early around midnight. After hanging up the phone, Elizabeth found Dr. Hammond and relayed the news. They agreed to keep her in the ER until then. As she walked away from Dr. Hammond, he called her back.

"Elizabeth, I just remembered the hospital board decided a little while ago to put a process in place for patients who fall under the pattern the rapist is using to pick his victims. They want us to alert security and they will send someone down to stand guard outside patient rooms. They will then alert Boston PD."

Elizabeth nodded and went back to the front desk to make the phone call. She was glad the hospital decided to put this policy in place. After she made the call, she surveyed the patient load of the ER and determined she could take some time to work on her endless paperwork. She retreated to the employee lounge to get to work. On her way there she passed a man she had only seen wandering the halls a couple of times. According to his ID, he was a doctor. They nodded to each other as he walked by. She stopped to check on Mrs. Donovan, the car accident victim and saw Michael Sullivan, one of the hospital security guards, who was just settling in by Mrs. Donovan's door. Elizabeth chatted with him for a few minutes then went to get started on her paperwork.

Meanwhile, at Jack's apartment, he and Lee were stumped by the case. There was not much evidence to interpret. Whoever the rapist was, he knew who to cover his tracks. He wasn't leaving any DNA behind. The men had just decided to quit for the night and enjoy a beer while watching a basketball game when Jack's phone rang. He jumped to get it, hoping maybe Elizabeth was calling to check on him. He was disappointed and fearful when he saw the call was from the precinct.

"Thornton!" He listened intently, his eyes growing larger as the conversation went on. "Got it, we will head right over." He ended the call, then turned to Lee. "A woman was just brought into Boston City after being in a car accident. She is unconscious."

Lee looked horrified at the news. "She's at Boston City?" He had to make sure he heard right. Even though they had only been on a couple of dates since they met, Lee was falling for Rosemary. His heart was thumping fast at the thought that she might be near this guy.

Jack grimly nodded his head yes. He knew what Lee was thinking because he was thinking the same thing. Jack filled Lee in about the hospital's new policy for protecting their patients, then they quickly grabbed their jackets. They headed as fast as they could to Boston City, each one praying their women would be ok.

Elizabeth worked uninterrupted for about twenty minutes when she heard a strange noise from the hall. She got up and opened the lounge door. She looked to her right and saw nothing. Looking to her left, she saw that Michael was no longer sitting outside Mrs. Donovan's room. She slowly walked down the hall, keep her eyes and ears open for any movement or sound. When she reached the exam room, she saw blood on the floor. A lot of blood. Concerned she walked into the room, turned on the lights and screamed.

 _ **What did Elizabeth find in the hospital room? Find out in the next chapter!**_

 _ **Sorry for the delay in posting this. It's been a long work week and the creative juices just weren't flowing.**_


	7. Fear, Love and Tenderness

Jack and Lee rushed into the ER at Boston City Hospital. Lee breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rosemary at the front desk. Both men hurried towards her. She looked up just as they reached the desk.

"Lee, Jack! Thank goodness you're here." She said

Jack looked at her, alarmed. "Why do you say that Rosemary? Where is Elizabeth is she ok?"

"Yes, Jack, she's fine. She is in the employee lounge trying to get some of her endless paperwork done. What I mean before was I am glad you're here because maybe now the rapist can be caught."

Jack let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding when she said Elizabeth was fine. "Would you tell us where the patient is?"

"Of course. I saw Michael Sullivan, one of our security guards was outside Mrs. Donovan's room about a half an hour ago." She started walking towards the room. "The employee lounge is on the way to her room, Jack. It's OK if you want to take a peak in and check in on her."

Jack smiled. "I think I will." He replied as he and Lee followed Rosemary down a long corridor. Rosemary stopped in front of a door that was marked "employee lounge." Jack pushed open the door looked inside. His heart sank when he didn't see Elizabeth in there. He got this horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong with her. He turned back to Rosemary and Lee. "She's not in there. I think something is wrong."

Rosemary was about to pull out her cell phone to text Elizabeth when she heard a noise coming from Mrs. Donovan's room. She turned to the men and could tell they heard it too. Lee motioned for Rosemary to stay behind them while he and Jack pulled out their weapons. They slowly made their way to the room, not sure what to expect. They reached the door and Rosemary immediately saw the blood on the floor. She poked Lee in his side and pointed down. He alerted Jack and motioned for Rosemary to get out of the way.

The door was slightly ajar; Jack slowly pushed it open, looking from left to right but not able to see much in the dark. He sent a look towards Lee and he nodded back, taking position to Jack's left. Jack flipped the light switch and froze. He saw Elizabeth, his love, lying on the floor with her hands and feet bound and she was gagged. Also in the room was a man who Jack guess was the security guard. Jack quickly recovered and scanned the room. When he determined that the room was safe, he ran to her, while Lee went back in the hall to get Rosemary.

"Elizabeth!" He cried out. "Oh, Sweetheart! I am so sorry!" He removed her gag as he felt guilt flow through him. He was certain this was the work of the rapist and he failed in protecting the love of his life. He then removed the ropes from her hands and feet. He helped her sit up but grabbing her right around. She gasped in pain and gritted her teeth. Jack recoiled, not sure what had just happened. "Sweetheart, are you hurt? Did you see who did this to you?"

Elizabeth could see fear, worry and guilt in Jack's eyes. She hated to have to tell him she was certain she had seen the rapist, but he needed to be told. With her uninjured hand, she grabbed his and squeezed it, then took a deep breath. "Jack," She whispered. "I am certain I saw the rapist." She felt tears come to her eyes.

Jack gently reached over and brushed the tears from her face. When he did so, he noticed a bruise starting to form around her eye. He cringed, wanting to go find that man and kill him. He bit back on his anger and returned his focus to Elizabeth. "You don't need to talk about this now. Let's get you looked at. Something is obviously wrong with your arm and I think you may have other injuries.

She nodded her head just as Dr. Hammond rushed into the room with Rosemary at his heels. "Elizabeth, what happened? What hurts?" The doctor asked.

Jack helped Elizabeth get to her feet. Rosemary had left a wheel chair out in the hallway and Jack gently walked her over to it. She wanted to protest but with the pain she was feeling, she knew this was not a time to be stubborn. It was a time to get examined. She sat down in the chair and pushed it to the exam room Rosemary was getting ready. Elizabeth wanted Jack in with her and Dr. Hammond agreed. He felt it would be easier on her if she could tell the story to Jack at the same time. Jack waited outside the room with the doctor while Rosemary helped Elizabeth into a gown. She opened the door when Elizabeth was settled.

Jack pulled out his note pad. As worried as he was about Elizabeth, he needed to take down her statement. "Sweetheart, tell us what happened."

"Well, I was working in the lounge when I heard a sound in the hallway. I went out to check what it was and saw that Michael Sullivan was sitting in front of Mrs. Donovan's room. I walked down the hall to find out where he was. When I reached the room, I noticed a lot of blood on the floor in the entrance to the room. I slowly opened the door to check on Mrs. Donovan and when I turned on the lights….." She stopped talking as tears began flowing heavily down her face.

Jack put aside his notepad and went to her left side, where he gently rubbed her shoulder and back. She turned to him and put her head on his chest. He stood there for several minutes, rubbing her back while she cried. Seeing her this was breaking his heart.

Elizabeth's got herself to calm down and continued her story. "When I turned on the lights, a man was standing over Mrs. Donovan's body; the sheets had been pulled down. I think I interrupted him raping her. He was startled to see me; he smacked me across the face; the pain stunned me and I froze. He took advantage and grabbed my arms. I think he hit me again and it knocked me out because when I woke up, my arms and legs were tied, there was a gag in my mouth and he was gone. I was on the floor next to the gurney. I tried to move my legs to push the gurney hoping someone would hear me. I think you must have heard me because a few minutes later, you entered the room, Jack.

"Elizabeth, were you able to see his face? Could you identify him in a line up?"

"I didn't get a good enough look at his face but what I did see looked familiar. He looked a little like the doctor I had passed in that very hallway a few minutes before. I have seen him here a couple of times and his ID Badge says he is a doctor but I can't remember what his name is. I have no idea if he is new to the hospital or if I have just never seen him before. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I can't be of more help." A tear formed in her eyes.

Jack took her hand again, this time bringing it to his lips. "You have no reason to be sorry for. The information you have provided should be enough to allow us to get a warrant to look at hospital employment records." He brushed a few more tears from her cheeks, being careful not to touch her black eye. "Will you be OK if I leave for a bit to relay the information you gave me? The sooner I do, the quicker we can get a warrant, given that it's Friday night."

Elizabeth wanted him to stay with her, but she knew it would be better for him to get work taken care before coming back to her. She had a feeling he would want to be by her side later when they send her home. She was already thinking of asking him to stay at her place in the spare bedroom. She didn't want to be alone tonight. She tried to smile at Jack. "Go, Jack. Do you job and get one step closer to catching this creep."

Jack leaned down and kissed her. "I will be back as soon as I can. Take care of her Doc." He turned and left the room. He found Lee out by the nurse's desk with Rosemary. Lee had his hand on Rosemary's shoulder. As he got closer he could see Rosemary was crying. "What happened?" Jack asked with dread.

Lee turned to him with a grim look on his face. "It's Michael Sullivan, the security guard. He was stabbed in the neck with a scalpel. He's dead."

"Great. We can now add murder to this guy's resume. I am going to call in to headquarters and let them know what has happened. Elizabeth said she thinks they the perp may be a doctor here but she has only seen him a couple of times. I think with her statement we should be able to get a warrant. You stay here with Rosemary."

"Only if you promise to the same with Elizabeth." Lee said.

Jack nodded and walked away, thinking to himself that if Elizabeth would have him, he would ask to stay at her place that night, in the guest room. He had to do better in protecting her. He doubted he would sleep but at least he would be near her, to help her or comfort her.

A couple of hours later, Jack returned to the room Elizabeth had been in before. He boss was working on get a rush for the warrant but didn't hold out much hope that they would get it before Monday. They had both agreed that the rapist would most likely lay low for a few days, after he was almost caught by Elizabeth. His boss told Jack to take the weekend off. If something with the case broke, he would call Jack in to work but until then his "orders" were to take care of Elizabeth.

Jack knocked on the door to her room and waited for her to answer. When she did, he opened the door and walked in. Elizabeth was sitting on the bed in her street clothes. Her arm had a cast on it. She was holding an ice pack to her eye. He cringed inside, thinking about the pain she might be in. He rushed to her side. "Sweetheart, how are you doing?" He gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"I have a broken arm. Also some bruised ribs and a possible small concussion."

"Oh God, Elizabeth!" His heart started pumping in fear. He knew concussions could be bad. "You are in your regular clothes. Don't you need to stay for observation?"

"No. As long as I have someone stay with me tonight and tomorrow, it will be fine for me to go home and get some rest in my own bed." She paused and bit her lip. "Jack, would you be willing to come home with me and stay in my guest room? I would feel more comfortable with you there but if you don't want to for whatever reason, I can have Rosie stay with me."

Jack smiled inside. They were on the same page. "I was hoping you might ask me to stay with you. Of course I will. I just need to stop at my place to get some clothes first. My boss told me to take the weekend off, unless something breaks in this case. Then he would call me in."

"That's nice of him. I don't mind stopping by your place for some clothes. I don't think I will be falling asleep anytime soon."

"When can you leave? We should probably call a cab to take you home. I think riding the T could be more painful for you."

"I can leave now; I already have my release forms and some pain meds that I can take until morning when the pharmacy is open and my script can be filled. Yes, calling for a cab is a great idea."

Jack grabbed his phone and called for a cab. They promised to be there in ten minutes. Jack then gently and carefully helped Elizabeth off the gurney and kept his arm around her while they walked to the entrance of the ER. Lee and Rosemary were standing at desk talking. Jack filled them in on their plans and they said goodnight, promising to call if Elizabeth needed anything.

About forty-five minutes later, after a stop at Jack's place, they walked into Elizabeth's apartment. Jack put his bag down beside the door while he locked it. Then he turned to his Sweetheart. "You should get changed. If you don't want to go to sleep right now, that's fine but I think you should rest and be in more comfortable clothes."

"Yes, that sounds heavenly. Would you help me to my room?"

"I will help you with whatever you need, Sweetheart. I know what they say about doctors and nurses being horrible patients, but please let me take care of you."

She sent him a weak smile. "Normally I would say I can take care of myself, but I hurt so much I know it's not possible." She put her arm around Jack's waist as they headed to her room.

"Do you need any help changing?" He asked, not sure if he should follow her into her room.

"I think I should be fine. I purposely put on a sweatshirt and pants to make it easier for me to take them off. Thank you for the offer to help though." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You should go get changed too. How about we watch some Lost and rest on the sofa?"

"That sounds good." He said. "Call for me when you are done getting changed and I will help you back to the living room."

"I will." She replied and turned to go into her room, then she turned back. "Jack?"

He had already turned to go to the guest room. He spun around, thinking something was wrong. "What is it, My Sweetheart? Are you in pain?"

"No, well yes but that's not why I called you." She chewed on her lip. "Jack, I love you." She stared into his eyes, looking for a reaction. When he didn't reply she wondered if she shouldn't have been so forward with him. After an agonizing minute, a huge smile appear on his face and she could see tears of happiness forming in his eyes.

Jack couldn't believe what she just said. He thought he imagined it, then he looked into her eyes. Love was shining there. He felt like his heart was going to explode with the love he felt for her. He closed the gap between them and took her face in his hands. "Elizabeth Thatcher, I love you too. So much. I never thought it possible to love somebody as much as I do you. And to know it so quickly. I love you." He said again then leaned in to give her a sweet and gentle kiss. When they parted, tears were rolling down both their faces. For a moment, they just stared at each other, then Elizabeth turned to go into her bedroom.

Despite the horrible evening they had experienced, Jack had a spring in his step as he made his way to the guest room. He quickly changed out of his clothes into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He then sat down on the bed waiting for her to call for him. He didn't know what else to do in the meantime. He didn't know if she would be hungry so he decided it was better to wait until she was ready. A few minutes later he heard her voice asking him to come help her. _I will help you anytime, anyplace, My Sweet Elizabeth._

He quickly made his way the short distance to her room. He opened the door to find her sitting on her bed, wearing black leggings and a pink t-shirt. She looked so beautiful. He didn't even see the bruise on her eye, the circles under her eyes or the cast on her arm. All he saw was the most beautiful woman in the world. He didn't know what he did to deserve having her love but he was thanking God for bringing her into his life and for making sure her injuries were not to serious.

 _ **Amazing what I can accomplish when I am not tired from work. Next chapter will be about their weekend together in her apartment, with Jack nursing Elizabeth back to health.**_


	8. Nightmares, Pain and Confessions

About two hours after they got to her apartment, Elizabeth fell asleep in his arms. Jack gently nudged her awake so he could help her get settled in her room. She was asleep again as soon as her head hit her pillow. Jack sat in the chair by her bed for a few minutes just watching her sleep. He hated to leave her but knew he needed to try and get some rest too. When he exited her room, he left the door open, doing the same with the guest room door. This way it would be easier to hear her if she needed him during the night.

Jack pulled back the covers on the bed and slipped under them. He didn't think he would fall asleep that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he had an image of some faceless man attacking Elizabeth. It made him shudder on more than one occasion. His last conscious thought was about him needing to protect his love more.

Elizabeth was dreaming. She was being attacked again by that man, only this time he was raping her. She bolted upright in her bed, clutching her chest and feeling the pain from her ribs. She quickly realized it was just a nightmare. She grabbed her phone to check the time. It was three in the morning. She was exhausted and she was in pain, but what she wanted most at this time was not her prescription pain meds. She carefully got out of her bed, deciding to go to Jack's room, to see if he would be willing to get in bed with her. She needed her handsome detective to hold her.

Jack woke up to the sound of someone whispering his name and lightly shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Elizabeth standing over him and she looked frightened. "Elizabeth? What's the matter, Sweetheart?" He sat up and pulled her down on the bed to sit with him.

"Jack, I had a bad dream. I was being raped by…" She trailed off, unable to say it. It didn't matter that she didn't say the person's name. Jack knew who she meant. He took her in his arms to comfort her. "Jack, may I sleep in here with you? I don't want to be alone." She had tears running down her face as she talked.

"Of course you can but maybe we should move to your room. I want you to be in the bed you are used to." She nodded her head. Jack hated to see the look of vulnerability in her eyes. He felt anger building inside, anger for the unnamed man who was raping women who could not defend themselves, anger for what this man did to his Sweet Elizabeth. He pushed the feelings back inside because he needed to be there for her. To help her though this.

Back in her room, Jack helped Elizabeth into her bed, then joined her. She needed to lie on her back because of her arm and ribs, so he laid on his side and gently put his arms around her. It felt so good to hold her like this. He felt so close to her, not just by being in her bed with her but emotionally close too. They soon fell back to sleep.

A few hours later, Elizabeth woke up and felt a body in bed with her. She started to panic for a moment thinking someone had broken into her apartment, then she remembered what had happened the night before. She had asked Jack to sleep in her bed with him. She lifted her head slightly so she could kiss him on the top of his head.

The kiss woke him up, although it would not have taken much to wake him. He hadn't been able to fall into a deep sleep because he was so worried about her. The kiss surprised him but made him happy at the same time. "Good morning, Sweetheart! How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired and sore."

Jack looked at her with worried eyes. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. What can I do to make you feel better?"

"Would you kiss me, please?"

"As if you need to ask." He replied and leaned in to kiss her. When they parted he asked. "Is that better?"

"Much better." She smiled brightly. "As much as I hate taking it, I should go have something to eat so I can take another pain pill. And I need some ice for my ribs."

"I will make you some breakfast. I make pretty good pancakes if you feel you can have a bigger breakfast." Jack offered as he got out of bed.

"That sounds delicious. I would love some pancakes." Elizabeth pulled back the covers and ease her way out of bed too.

"Stay in bed, Sweetheart. I will bring in a tray for you." He tried to help her back in but she resisted.

"As nice as that sounds, Jack, I want to go to out with you. I need to make a call to the nursing school to let them know Rosie is going to be teaching for me today. Probably for the next few weeks. With this arm, I am not going to be able to work for a while at either job." Elizabeth felt a tear go down her cheek at the thought of not being to do what she loves.

Jack looked at her and couldn't believe the sadness he saw there. Once again he felt his anger build at what this jerk did to her. He vowed right then and there to make her as happy as possible during her recovery time. For the moment, he helped her stand up and he got her settled on the couch with her cell phone. "I will bring your breakfast over here when it's ready. Maybe we can watch Lost while we eat." He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

She looked into his gorgeous brown eyes and smiled at him. As sad as she was to not be working, she was just as happy she had him in her life to be with her and take care of her. "That sounds wonderful, Jack. Thank you for being here with me and holding me last night."

"Anything for you, My Sweet Elizabeth." He held her hand for a moment then went to the kitchen. As he got the ingredients ready, he heard her on the phone with the school. It sounded to him like she was trying desperately to hold back tears. He made his way back to her just as she ended the call. The tears were already flowing. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest. "Shhh...Let it out." He whispered as he rubbed her back. They stayed there for several minutes until her tears stopped flowing.

Elizabeth pulled away from him. "Thank you, Jack. Thank you for holding me again and letting me cry."

"I love you, Elizabeth. I will always be here for you."

"I love you too, Jack. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Jack felt his heart grow wings and fly at the sound of her words. "You are the best thing to happen to me, too." They both found themselves leaning towards each other and when their lips met, they shared one of the most romantic, passionate kisses either of them had ever experienced. They broke apart briefly, then their lips met again in another kiss. They shared several more before Elizabeth started to feel the pain from her ribs. She reluctantly broke away from him.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I want to continue but my ribs are hurting." She looked disappointed.

"Elizabeth, its fine. You need to listen to your body. I will go get you some ice and then fix breakfast." He gave her a quick kiss on her lips then went to the kitchen. He brought her back the ice, then got to work on breakfast.

When Jack brought two plates to the living room and placed them on the coffee table. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Jack decided to ask her something that had been on his mind. "Elizabeth, I have a question for you."

"Sure, Jack. What is it?"

"Earlier you said you didn't want to take the pain medication and it seemed like you didn't want to take it last night either. Is there a reason you don't want to?"

Elizabeth stayed silent for a few minutes. She didn't want to tell him her reason but she felt like she would be keeping a horrible secret from him if she didn't. "Jack, I was in a relationship when I was in nursing school. I was dating a doctor, who in fact was a family friend. His name was Charles Kensington. He was always more serious about me than I was with him. I think the only reason I dated him was because our families seemed to expect us to, but I always thought of him as more of a brother or close friend rather than a boyfriend or husband." She stopped, needing to control her emotions.

Jack felt a pang of jealously. He scolded himself for feeling it. Clearly, she was never in love with him. He took her hand and squeezed it. That brought her out of her emotional state.

"One night, he was driving home after working thirty-six hours straight and he fell asleep at the wheel. He drove into a tree, and he was seriously injured. I won't go into detail about it. He was in recovery for three months. During that time, unbeknownst to any of us, he became addicted to his pain medication. As it is for most addicts, it took over his life. When his doctor stopped prescribing the medication, Charles took to stealing it from the hospital. He became moody and distant, often getting angry with me over nothing. He would become violent with me; a couple of times he grabbed me by my wrists and left bruises. I let it go the first time it happened, but when he did it another time, I ended it. He wouldn't admit he had a problem and I would not be the kind of woman that becomes a doormat for their man."

Jack felt the anger bubble up in him once again. He found himself wondering where this Charles was. He wanted to pay him a visit. Then he remembered that Charles most likely was not like this before the accident. His behavior was due to his drug addiction. He looked over to Elizabeth and saw she was crying. He pulled her into his arms.

Felling his arms around her calmed her down enough to continue her story. "After I broke it off, Charles continued his death spiral. He stated taking illegal drugs. I am not even sure what he took because I didn't want know anything more about him." She paused and brushed a few more tears from her cheeks. "Jack, he overdosed on whatever he was taking and he died." The last part came out as a whisper. She felt Jack put his arms around her again and rub her back while she cried. "I don't like the idea of taking strong pain meds because I am afraid I will become addicted. Nobody ever thinks they will get hooked until long after it does happen and something goes wrong."

"I am so sorry you had to go through that, Sweetheart. I will do whatever you need me to do to help ease your pain if you don't want to take your prescription. You can squeeze my hand as hard as you want to get through the pain."

"Thank you, Jack. I may just take you up on that. I think once the ribs start to heel, I can stop with the prescription and switch to Tylenol. It should only be a couple of days." She leaned over and kissed him. "Thank you for being with me, supporting me and helping me."

"I love you, Elizabeth. I hate that last night happened to you, but since it did, I will be there as much as I can to help you out."

"Jack, I know you will have to return to work, if not sometime this weekend but definitely Monday. Would you be willing to come back here after your workday to be with me?"

"Of course I will. I was actually going to bring it up. I just need to go back to my place at some point this weekend and get more clothes."

"Thank you, again Jack." She let out a yawn. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yawn in your face." She giggled a little. "I think I will go try and take a nap. If you want to go to your place to get your clothes, I will be ok here."

"That's a good idea. I will also top and get some food in for dinner." He stood up from the couch, then held his hand out towards her. "Let me help you get settled in bed and then I will go."

Once she was tucked him, he sat on the bed for a few minutes watching her sleep again. Then he got up, kissed her and headed for the door. He wanted to get his errand down quickly so he could return to his Sweetheart and help make her feel better.


	9. Unbelievable

Jack returned to the apartment about ninety minutes after he left. He had wanted to come back sooner but the grocery store was busy and he had plans to make her a home cooked meal that night. He made a pretty good pot roast and mashed potatoes with a rich beef gravy. Once he got in the door, he dropped the bag with his clothes, then went to the kitchen to unload the groceries. When he finished putting the perishables away, he heard a noise from the living room. He went to investigate and quickly realized the sound was sobbing. He became instantly alarmed when he found Elizabeth curled up on the floor in a ball. He ran to her and took her in his arms.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong? Are your injuries worse? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" His heart pounded in fear.

Elizabeth unwrapped herself and threw her arms around his neck, holding him so tight he had a little trouble breathing. If clinging to him so tight made her feel better, he could deal with it.

"Jack!" She sobbed. "I can't believe he would do that to me."

"What, Elizabeth? Who did something to you? Were you attacked again? Did he find out where you live?" Jack started to panic, imaging his Sweet Elizabeth home alone, injured and having to fight off a rapist. He hated himself for leaving her. He would never forgive himself.

Elizabeth loosened her hold on him and lifted her head to look at him. The look on his face was frightening. She realized he thought she had been raped by her attacker from last night. She took some deep, calming breathes to get herself together so she could tell him what really happened. "No, Jack. It was him. It was my father."

Jack felt relief spread through his body, then realized her father must have done something pretty terrible to get her that upset. "What about your father?"

Tears welled up in her eyes again. "Right after you left, I got a call from Ellie Michaels, my supervisor, saying Human Resources received a resignation letter from me. They wanted to know what was going on since she had called them just a couple of hours ago to update them about my situation and that Rosie was taking over for me. As you can imagine we were both shocked."

"As am I." Jack replied. "What happened?"

"I asked Ellie to scan the letter and e-mail to me. She waited on the phone while I looked at it. The first thing I noticed was that the letter was printed on Hamilton Hotel letterhead." She looked into his face to see his reaction.

"What?" He asked with a raised voice.

"I know. I told Ellie that obviously it was a huge mistake and I would look into how this had happened. She promised to call HR back and let them know what was going on. I hung up the phone just as there was a knock on my door. I didn't know who it could be and I was concerned because they didn't use the intercom. I looked through the peephole and saw my father." She started to cry again and Jack put his arms around her. "I didn't want to let him in. I was furious and knew I should wait to talk to him until I had calmed down a little. I guessed that somehow he learned about what happened to me and would know I was home. I reluctantly opened the door and let him in and asked him how he got past the intercom. He ignored the question and pretended to be shocked about my broken arm but I knew he was lying about that. He may have a good poker face when it comes to business but he is a terrible liar when it comes to his family. I called him on it and he admitted he heard but wouldn't tell me from who." She stopped again to catch her breath and to calm down.

Jack tightened his hold on her and began to rock her, hoping the motion would help. "Shhhh." He whispered. "You don't have to tell me everything at once."

"Thank you, Jack. I would much rather get this over with." She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "My father then said he decided it was best for me after what happened for me to quit being a nurse. He followed that up his all too familiar comments about how nursing was the absolute worst career I could have chosen and he said he was planning to talk to the nursing school about having Julie withdrawn. I lost it. I yelled at him like I have never yelled at anyone before. I told him he had no right interfering in my life; that I was a grown woman who has been living on her own for years, earning a living doing something I love. I told him I don't need him to protect me anymore or to give me money or a token job at his company."

"That's the independent woman I know and love." Jack praised. "How did he take it?"

"As you would expect, not well at all. He yelled at me about how I was embarrassing the family by having this job. He couldn't understand why I would want to risk my life and he demanded that I come work for the hotel. I yelled back at him that a job at the hotel may not be any safer than working at the hospital. He started to deny it, talking about the safety measures at the hotel. I had to point out that I could very easily be raped by a guest. That really angered him. He thought I was being a brat, making up stories so I could get my way. That's when I had had enough. I told him that if he wanted to ever have me in his life again he would have to accept my choices in life. He refused so I told him he was never to contact me again and that he needed to stay out of my life for good. I also said that if he ever did anything like this again, that if he were to pull this stunt on Julie, I would have him arrested for fraud."

"What? You did? Good for you. You definitely could have him charges since the letter was forges."

"I know. I don't even know how I thought of it as upset as I was. It did the trick too. It got him to leave but on the way out, he yelled back that until I came to my senses about my job, I was not to come to the house or fly to London for Viola's wedding. I yelled back that I had already decided that. He then stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door. I immediately called Julie to let her know what had happened. She is going to be waiting for the school offices to open first thing Monday. She promised to call if anything happens. After I hung with her everything that had just happened hit me. I fell to floor and started crying." She still had some tears rolling down her cheeks but nothing like the flood of before.

"And that's where I found you." He hugged her again, for himself as well as her. He couldn't understand why her father would do something like this. "Sweetheart, would you like to go sit on the sofa or lie done in your bed for a while?"

"I would, yes. I am tired of sitting on the floor, which I am sure you are too. Let's go to the sofa."

Jack picked her up and carried her there. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"I would. I am just now noticing how much pain I am in again. What happened today caused me to do things I shouldn't be doing while my ribs are trying to heal. I should take something."

"Would you like to have a grilled cheese? I make pretty good ones."

"I love grilled cheese and I would love to try one of yours." Jack started to get up but she pulled him back down. "Thank you again, Jack. I don't know many guys that would put up with what has happened to me. It means a lot that you are here with me."

Jack sat back down on the sofa next to her. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I am not most guys. I love you, Elizabeth. I am here for you for the good and the bad. I would never leave you side when you need me."

Tears began welling up in her eyes again, but this time they were happy tears. "Jack, I love you, so much. So, so much. I am here for you too. I know you feel a little guilty about what happened because you haven't been able to catch this jerk but I want you to know, it's not your fault. For now this guy is covering his tracks so well he is making it hard to be caught. I have faith that he will mess up and then you will find him. Just don't blame yourself at all over me."

Jack felt himself choking up over her words. He knew deep down that she didn't blame him but he hadn't realized how well she knew him in the few weeks they had known each other. Again he felt his heart flutter. He put his hands on either side of her face and pulled her towards him. He kissed her with all the love he had in his heart. "Thank you, Sweetheart. I love you." He held her hand as he stood up from the sofa and looked down into her beautiful blue eyes that were shining with love and tears, before making his way to the kitchen.


	10. Support System

After enjoying Jack's delicious grilled cheese sandwich, the couple settled down on the sofa to watch a movie. Elizabeth was situated with her back against Jack's chest and he has his arms around her. They sat there in relative silence, just enjoying each other's company. Elizabeth was doing her best to forget the scene with her father. She didn't want to be angry; it didn't solve anything to hang on to negative feelings. She needed to concentrate her energy on healing.

Jack sensed that Elizabeth was troubled over what happened with her dad. He was trying hard to help her relax by gently massaging her upper arms and shoulders. He felt it was working because he heard her sigh in pleasure a few times and once she grabbed one of his hands and brought it to her lips, causing him to also sigh. Suddenly, Elizabeth pushed herself forward and grabbed the remote to pause the movie, startling him.

"Elizabeth? What's wrong?" He tried to pull her back into his arms but she resisted. Even with her injuries she was pretty strong.

"Jack, as much as I have been trying to forget the incident with my father, I just remembered something. I had made plans for the holidays with them. Now I need to make other arraignments. What do you have planned for Thanksgiving? Do you go home and visit your mother?"

Jack calmed down once he realized there wasn't something wrong with her. "I usually do but this year I am not. My Aunt Cindy, her sister, lost her husband suddenly to a heart attack at the end of August. My mom rushed out to Seattle for the funeral. As you can imagine, my aunt was very upset about losing him like that and she has been having a hard time dealing. Mom decided to stay with her at least through the rest of the year, to help her get through those first holidays alone."

"Oh, Jack. I am sorry about your uncle."

"Thanks. Anyway since I won't be going to New Hampshire for dinner, I decided to volunteer for patrol duty so that an officer with a family may have some time off. They ended up giving me the six pm shift."

"That's perfect!" Elizabeth replied happily. "I scheduled myself to work the night shift at the hospital for the same reason. I start at six too. We could make our own Thanksgiving dinner right here." Her eyes were shining with excitement.

Jack felt himself get excited too. He had thought he would be miserable that day, not being able to be with family. Now he could be with his girlfriend. "I love that idea. It will be fun to make dinner together."

"I am going to get my lap top so we can research some recipes we may want to try." She started to get up when the buzzer to her apartment rang. Dread filled her stomach. She sent a worried look towards Jack. "I hope that's not Father again."

"Don't worry, Elizabeth. I will be here if that is him. I will help you make him understand he needs to let you live your own life." He leaned in to give her a quick, encouraging kiss as they heard the buzzer again. "Do you want me to get it?"

"No, I had better do it. He knows I am seeing someone but he may not take too kindly to you staying here with me." She walked over towards the buzzer and pressed the talk button. "Yes?"

"Beth, dear." A female voice responded. "It's Mom. Let me in, please! I need to talk to you."

Elizabeth pressed the button to allow her mother to get in the building. She looked at Jack. "I hope he didn't send Mom to do his dirty work again." She said as she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find Grace Thatcher standing on the other side, with a perturbed look on her face.

"Beth!" She cried as she stepped in and gave Elizabeth a quick hug. "As soon as your father told me what he did and about the fight you had with him, I had to come over." She started to walk towards the living room when she spotted Jack as he stood up to greet her. "Beth, is this the young man you have been telling me about?"

Elizabeth smiled as she walked towards Jack and took his arm. "Yes, Mom. Meet Detective Jack Thornton. Jack this is my mother, Grace Thatcher."

Jack held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Thatcher. Elizabeth has told me a lot about you."

Grace took his and shook it. "The pleasure is all mine, Detective. Beth has told me a lot about you as well." She smiled at him.

"Mom would you like something to drink? Some tea perhaps?" Elizabeth asked.

"If it isn't too much trouble with your arm, I would love something to drink. If you have iced tea that would be great."

"It's no trouble at all." Elizabeth replied and started for the kitchen but Jack stopped her.

"I will get the drinks, Sweetheart. I don't want you exerting yourself. You go talk with your mother." He gave her a reassuring squeeze then walked to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Honey." She replied as she motioned for her mother to join her in the living room. She sat down on the sofa while Grace settled herself in one of the chairs.

"Beth, what a handsome young man you have. He is so attentive too, wanting you to rest." Grace gave her daughter a special smile, one Elizabeth recognized from childhood whenever Grace approved of something she did. "Beth, I had to come here to check on you after I heard about the horrid way your father treated you today. I admit we were both scared when we heard what has happened but he had no right to forge a resignation letter and send it to the hospital. We may not agree with your career choice but I couldn't be more proud of what you have become. I know you love your work and that is what is important in life. I have come to realize that you never would have been happy working at the hotel."

Elizabeth was shocked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her mother. "Thank you, Mom for saying that. It means a lot to me." She felt tears come to her eyes, just as Jack came back to the living room with their drinks. He had heard what Grace had been saying and was very happy for Elizabeth. It was good knowing she had one parent on her side. After giving Grace her drink, he sat down next to Elizabeth and put his arm around her. Her tears quickly stopped as she felt his warm embrace.

"Beth, your father told me you were acting like a spoiled brat wanting to get your way when you pointed out that you could very easily be attacked at the hotel. I told him that you were right. Just because we have the latest security measures installed in all of our hotels doesn't mean any woman is safe from attack. Like you said to him, a guest can attack someone too. Your father got angry with me then, saying that you must have poisoned me against him. I have never seen him act so crazy, refusing to see the truth. I told him he needs to let you girls live your own lives or he will lose you forever. He just lost it. He stormed out of the house mumbling something about how the women in his live should obey him. I went to the window and watched him drive away before I went upstairs and packed a bag. I can't be around him until he can see reason and let his family live their own lives, even if that life isn't what he planned. I checked into the Back Bay hotel for the time being. I had to come and talk to you about how I feel. I am behind you 100%." She finished her drink and stood up. "I am going to head back to the hotel and get some rest. Fighting with your father takes a lot out of me, as I am sure you know."

Elizabeth got up to walk her mother to the door with Jack following her. She gave her mother a kiss. "Thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome. Maybe we could have lunch together this week while you are recovering. Maybe if you are up to it, go shopping too."

"I would like that, Mom."

Jack stepped forward then. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Thatcher." He held out his hand again for her to shake it.

Instead of taking his hand, Grace moved towards him to give him a kiss on the cheek. "May I call you Jack" She asked and he nodded yes. 'Jack, please call me Grace. I know you have only been seeing my daughter a few weeks but I can tell how much you make her happy. Even right now, with her in pain because of her injuries, she is glowing with happiness over being with you. That means the world to me."

"Thank you, Mrs…I mean Grace." Jack replied, surprised but happy Grace had accepted him into her daughter's life.

"Get some rest, Beth. Let this handsome man pamper you a little. You deserve it." Grace said as she walked out the door.

Elizabeth, forgetting about her ribs, threw herself into Jack's arms. Then she groaned as she felt the pain. Jack gently picked her up and brought her to the sofa, where he laid her down. Then he went to the freezer and grabbed an ice pack. After she put it on her ribs, she looked at him and smiled. "I can't get over what Mom said. I am so happy knowing she understands now that I never would have been happy working at the hotel."

"It's wonderful, Elizabeth. I am happy for you."

Elizabeth sat up and put her hands on the sides of his face. She leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss that left them both breathless. "I love you, Detective Thornton." She said as her eyes shimmered with love.

Jack felt his heart flutter. "I love you too, Nurse Thatcher." He moved towards her to give her another kiss. "I am going to get started with dinner, Sweetheart. Would you like me to bring over your laptop so you can browse recipes for Thanksgiving? You can make a list for me and we can go over it after I get dinner in the oven."

"That would be great." Jack grabbed her computer and went to the kitchen after he handed it to her. He was smiling as he started getting ingredients ready for the pot roast. Despite what had happened in the last twenty-four hours he was so happy and he knew Elizabeth shared his feelings.


	11. Moving Forward

November passed quickly for Jack and Elizabeth. Jack and the BPD set up a trap at all the area hospitals to catch the rapist. They placed a female officer at each hospital with plain clothes officers nearby to protect them and let the word out that there was a new patient suffering from severe pain after an accident. The rapist took the bait and was caught. He wasn't a doctor but was able to create identification tags for the hospitals so it would appear that he was an employee. On his first night at a state prison, he hanged himself in his cell.

It was now the middle of December. Elizabeth had been back to work since the beginning of the month. She and Jack were looking forward to spending their first Christmas together. After spending so much time together while she recovered, getting to know each other, Elizabeth asked Jack to move in with her. He accepted and decided to sublet his apartment to Lee, who needed a new place to stay because his roommate was getting married and his bride was moving in there. Jack and Elizabeth would sleep together in her bed but they both felt it was a little too early in their relationship to let things go any further. They admitted to each other that they both were a little old fashioned and wanted to wait before taking that next serious step. Moving in together before marriage was about as modern as they wanted to go.

Jack had the day off and spent the time going Christmas shopping and getting ready for his evening with Elizabeth. They were going to decorate their tree that evening. He was a man on a mission; even though they had barely been dating for three months, Jack knew in his heart that he wanted to ask Elizabeth to marry him. He wanted to propose on Christmas Eve. They already had plans made for that night. Since Elizabeth and Rosemary were both working 12-8 on Christmas Day, they decided to celebrate the holiday together, on the 24th. Jack and Lee also volunteered to work on Christmas Day. They were given a special assignment as plain clothed officers monitoring City Hospital's ER. Every year, there always seemed to be issues on Christmas Day that required the assistance of BPD. The previous year, they had tried something new by having officers already on scene. The ER was calmer than it had been in years so they hospital voted to try it again this year.

Jack walked into a jewelry store that had been suggested by his boss. It was family run and had been in business for a hundred years. Jack liked the idea of buying something from a small business owner. Jack knew what he wanted to get Elizabeth. He noticed that she didn't wear a lot of diamond jewelry. He asked her one time about it and she said she didn't really like diamonds by themselves. She laughed when she told him that because she felt it was funny that a woman with her background doesn't like diamonds. After that, Jack started browsing the internet for an engagement ring that would fit Elizabeth's personality. He eventually decided that he would like a sapphire ring; he felt it would go good with her blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, Sir." One of the sales people greeted him. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

Jack looked at her name tag. It said Beth. He remembered that Grace Thatcher had called Elizabeth "Beth" so Jack took it as a sign of good luck and decided to accept her offer of help. "Yes, please. I am looking for an engagement ring. I think I want to get her a sapphire ring. She has beautiful blue eyes and they remind me of sapphires"

Beth smiled. "That's so sweet." She said as she motioned for him to follow her to a case. "Do you have anything in particular in mind?"

Jack looked in the case and spotted one he had been thinking about. It was heart shaped and had tiny diamonds surrounding it. "Yes. I like the heart ring right there." He pointed towards it.

Beth unlocked the case and reached for the ring. She placed a piece of velvet cloth down on the glass and set the ring on it. Jack picked it up and admired it. He smiled, thinking how lucky he was to have found what he was looking for so quickly. He took a quick look at the price tag and noted that it was in his price range.

Beth noticed that Jack saw the price tag. "We are running special. Twenty percent off."

"I will take it." Jack told her.

"Do you know your girlfriend's ring size?"

"I don't but a friend of mine mentioned that if I brought one of her rings with me you would be able to find out the size." He reached into his pocket to pull out an opal ring he had seen her wear on their first date. She had mentioned it was her birthstone.

"Yes, we can do that." She took the ring from Jack. "Actually this looks to be about the same size as the sapphire but I will double check." She took both rings into the back room to check. A couple of minutes later, she returned with a smile on her face. "You are in luck. It is the same size, but if she puts it on and finds it too loose or tight, just have her come back here with it. Save your receipt because we are running a special right now that waives the fee for the resizing."

"That's good to know. Thank you." He paused for a minute, his mind going in a few different directions. "Is the sale you mentioned just on rings?"

"No, it's on almost everything in the store. Are you interested in shopping for something else?"

"Yes, I am. I would like to get my girlfriend something else. I noticed a sapphire necklace that looks like it matches the ring but I also wondered about getting her something in her birthstone. It's opal, like in her ring."

Beth smiled at him. "I have a necklace in mind that should help you with your decision." She walked over to a different case and pulled out a necklace. She placed it down on the velvet for Jack to look at.

He glanced down and grinned. "That's sapphire and opal, isn't it?" The sapphire was heart shaped, like the ring he was buying, with opals surrounding it.

"Yes. It's one of my favorite pieces in the whole store. I love how the opal takes on a blue tint next to the sapphire. It has a matching bracelet too. Unfortunately the pair of earrings we had to match were sold to another customer."

"That's ok. I hardly see her wearing earrings. I will take the necklace and bracelet though."

"Of course. I will go wrap them up for you. Would you like them all in separate boxes or can the necklace and bracelet go in one together?"

"The box together will be fine. Thank you so much for your help, Beth." He smiled as he got out his wallet to pay. He was happy with his selections and that he was able to get everything taken care of in one place. He would have to thank his boss for the suggestion.

Later that day, Jack was in the kitchen making a roast chicken for dinner. He couldn't wait for Elizabeth to come home. He missed her terribly today. He began thinking about the ring he bought and suddenly it came to him. He didn't want to wait until Christmas Eve to ask her. He thought doing it tonight would be more romantic that having to find the right time on Christmas Eve before Lee and Rosie came over. He was lost in thought he didn't hear Elizabeth call out to him that she was home.

Elizabeth walked into the kitchen to talk to Jack but he seemed to be in another world. He didn't hear her calling. She walked over to him and put her arms around his waist. He jumped, not realizing she had come home.

"Hi, Sweetheart! How was your day?"

"It was fine. We were busy. The flu is rearing its ugly head."

"That's not good. You get the vaccine don't you?"

"Yes but it doesn't protect against new strains of flu, which appears this one is." She stood on her toes to give him a kiss. "I don't want to talk about work tonight. I just want to have a nice dinner with the man I love and then decorate our tree." She smiled happily at Jack.

He returned the smile, flashing his dimples at her. "Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes."

"OK. I am going to take a quick shower and get changed." She gave him another kiss before heading to the bedroom.

Jack walked into the guest room and went to the night stand. He had placed his earlier purchases there figuring that Elizabeth wouldn't go snooping in there, if she was the type of person to do something like that. He pulled out the ring box and opened it. The ring sparkled in the light; he felt like it was telling him that it belonged on her finger sooner rather than later. Jack slipped the box into his pocket and dug deep for the courage to ask her tonight.

A short time later, Elizabeth reappeared in the kitchen, wearing leggings and a long sleeved Patriots shirt. Jack looked at her and felt like he couldn't breathe. She was so beautiful, even dressed so causally. He imagined looking at her in fifty years and still thing she is breathtaking.

Elizabeth felt Jack watching her and felt uncomfortable. "Is something wrong, Jack?"

"What?" He snapped out of his trance. "No, your fine, Elizabeth. You look beautiful tonight."

Elizabeth nervously ran her hand through her wet hair. She wasn't feeling that pretty but she was please that he thought so. "Thank you, Jack." She said as she sat down in chair at the kitchen table.

Jack walked over to the oven and checked on dinner. It was done, so he took the chicken out and placed it on the counter to rest. He turned towards Elizabeth and decided this was the time. He was so nervous; he didn't know if she would think it's too soon. Then he looked at her face and the love that she felt for him in her eyes and knew he had to continue. He sat in a chair next to her and took her hand. "Elizabeth, I love you, so very much. There are times I can't believe how quickly I fell for you." He paused, still feeling nervous.

Elizabeth grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I feel the same way, Jack. I love you so much. I never believed people could fall for each other that quickly until I met you. I think I feel for you the first time I saw you, I just didn't realize it until the night we went to Bean Town Pub."

"That is when I felt it too." Jack replied, feeling his nerves lessen. "Elizabeth, Sweetheart, I can't imagine living a day without you. You are my best friend, my sanctuary after a long day and first and foremost the love of my life." He stood up, then got down on one knee while pulling the ring box out of his pocket. He flipped it open as Elizabeth gasped. "Elizabeth Michaela Thatcher, would you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He looked into her blue eyes while he waited for an answer.

Elizabeth was stunned; she couldn't believe he was proposing. She looked into his face and all she saw was pure love. She put her hands on his face, leaned closer to him and whispered. "Jarrick Matthew Thornton, I love you with every fiber in my body. You are my best friend, sanctuary and love of my life. I would love to have you as my husband and become the happiest woman in the world."

Jack pulled her up from the chair and spun her around, so happy that she said yes. She laughed as he expressed his joy. She felt the same way and soon joined him. After a couple of minutes, he gently set her down on her feet. "I love you, Elizabeth." His eyes were shining with the love he felt for her.

"I love you, too." Her eyes mirrored what she was seeing on his face.

Jack picked up her left hand and started to bring it to his lips when he realized he had forgotten to slip the ring on. He had set it down on the table when his excitement had taken over him. He reached for the box, pulled the ring out and slip it on her finger, while Elizabeth looked into his eyes.

Once she realized he had put the ring on her finger, she looked down and gasped. "Oh, Jack! It's beautiful!" She stared at it for a minute, then looked back at his face. "I am so happy!"

"I am too." He leaned down to give her a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and let herself experience the moment. They kissed until they both needed to take a breath. Jack then helped her sit down in her chair before taking a seat himself. "I love you, Sweetheart." He whispered.

"I love you too, Honey." She was about to say something when her stomach decided this was the perfect time to grumble. They both laughed.

"I guess I should go slice the chicken." Jack stood to go to the counter. In a few minutes they were both seated, eating the delicious dinner Jack had made, each one lost in thought about the proposal.

"Honey?" Elizabeth broke the silence.

"What's on your mind, Sweetheart, as if I don't know." They both laughed.

"How do you feel about long engagements? I don't like them very much but if you want to wait to get married, we can."

Jack flashed his dimples at her. "I don't like them either, but I thought you mind want some time to plan a big wedding."

"I know most women dream of having a big, flashy wedding, especially women who come from my background, but that was never for me. My dream wedding is a small intimate affair. Given my situation with my family right now, a small wedding will be just perfect. Only Julie and my mother will attend."

Jack watched her face as she talked. He thought he saw a hint of sadness that her father wouldn't be there but then she smiled at him. He realized she must be thinking it would be her father's loss not to be there. "If a small wedding is what you have dreamed about then a small wedding it is. Personally I would prefer that too." He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. "Do you have any ideas on when you would like to get married?"

"My mind immediately flashed to Valentine's Day but then I shot the idea down. There is no way we could find a place at this late date. What if we tried for a spring wedding? Maybe in April? I know some people though the hotel business who could help us find a place."

"I like the idea of an April wedding. It gives us the short engagement we want and still allow us some time to plan the perfect wedding."

"Then it's agreed? We will get married in April?" She smiled at him.

He looked into her gorgeous blue eyes and replied. "April it is!" He leaned across the table to kiss her.

They spent the rest of the meal talking about their ideas for the wedding. Afterwards, Elizabeth washed the dishes while Jack set up the tree. Elizabeth has terrible allergies and couldn't have a real tree, so Jack was putting together a new artificial tree. It was dusted with what was meant to be snow and had pine cone decorations already on it. Elizabeth always liked putting together a snow and ice theme for her tree. She had boxes of snowflakes and icicles along with blue and white twinkling Italian lights. She had mentioned to Jack that she loved the look of the blue lights reflecting off the snowflakes and icicles. The happy couple spent the evening decorating the tree, then sat on the couch with mugs of hot cocoa watching Christmas specials on TV. They both felt like a happily married couple just enjoying a pleasant evening at home together, so happy and very much in love.


	12. Planning the Future

Elizabeth woke the next morning with Jack's arm tightly around her middle. She didn't remember him ever holding her so tightly or so close; she liked the feeling. She looked at the beautiful sapphire ring on her finger and smiled happily. She loved the heart shaped stone with the little diamonds all around it. She couldn't believe she was going to be getting married in a few short months.

Elizabeth didn't feel like moving from her spot just yet. Today was Friday. She and Jack both had long weekends, provided the snow storm coming didn't create too much havoc that would require them both to go to work. She would prefer staying snug and cozy in their apartment. The storm was supposed to start sometime that night, so for today, she and Jack were going to advantage of the calm before the storm and get some shopping for their friends and family done.

She felt Jack begin to stir, so she shifted in his arms so that she was facing him when he opened his eyes. He didn't disappoint her when his eyes opened and he happily grinned at her. "What a pleasant way to wake up in the morning." He whispered before he leaned in for a kiss. "I love you, Sweetheart."

She returned the smile and moved her hand up to touch his check. "I love you, too."

Jack moved so that he was lying on his back and he pulled Elizabeth over so that her head rested on his chest. "Do you still want to go shopping today? Has the weather forecast changed?"

"No change, they are still saying tonight into tomorrow, with a foot of snow possible. With that said, I would like to go shopping today to see what I can get out of the way, if that's fine with you."

"Of course."

"I was thinking maybe we could go have breakfast at the café and then get started."

"And tell Abigail our news too." Jack replied.

She laughed. "Yes I do want to tell her but I feel like eating there today. She may not open tomorrow due to the storm and we may not want to go out or we may have to work, so today seems like the best day to go."

"Sounds good to me." They kissed again then got up to get ready.

About twenty minutes later, Elizabeth walked into the living room to find Jack already waiting for her. He looked so handsome in blue jeans and a green sweater. "My, my, my, Detective! It should be against the law to look that handsome." She flashed him her bright smile.

Jack turned away from the window he had been looking out of to find Elizabeth admiring him. "I could say the same thing about you, Nurse Thatcher. You look absolutely beautiful." She was also wearing jeans, but she had on a blue sweater. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am." She picked up her purse while Jack went to the hall closet to get their coats. He then helped her put hers on. They walked downstairs and began their walk to Abigail's. Suddenly, an idea came into Elizabeth's head. She stopped short on the sidewalk, causing Jack to turn to her, concerned.

"Elizabeth, is something wrong?"

"No, Jack. I just had a wonderful idea. I was thinking about the café and it came to me." She was talking fast, obviously excited.

"What is this idea?" Jack wondered what had gotten her so hyped up.

"Abigail sometimes will close the café to the public to allow special parties to have the place to themselves. What do you think about asking her if we could have our reception there? I don't plan on inviting many people so it might just work."

Jack thought it over and soon it brought a smile to his face. He could imagine them having the party there and in the short time he had known Elizabeth, he had come to realize that Abigail was a goddess in the kitchen. "I love the idea, Sweetheart. Do you want to ask her today?"

"Yes I do. Oh, she is going to be so excited for us." Her eyes danced with joy as ideas for the reception started coming to mind.

Jack felt his heart swell with happiness and love as he watched her. Gone was the slight sadness he had seen the night before; in its place was a pure joy at the thought of the life they would have together. Jack had never felt such happiness in his life.

Elizabeth pulled her cell phone out of her bag. She opened the calendar to the month of April. "Jack, what do you think about April 8th for our wedding day? It's a week before Easter."

Jack grinned and took her hand to bring it to his lips. "That sounds great to me. I would marry you tomorrow if we could, but I like the idea of waiting until April. Less chance of a snow storm to ruin our day." Jack replied, knowing how unpredictable New England weather can be.

"Even if it did snow on our wedding day, I wouldn't mind it. It would make for interesting pictures." Elizabeth giggled.

"So it's official. April 8th you become my wife and I will become your husband."

"That sounds wonderful, Jack. I can't wait." She threw her arms around him and stood on her toes to give him a big kiss. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her as close to him as possible. When they parted, Elizabeth took his hand in hers and they continued to the café.

Once they got inside, Elizabeth waived to Abigail, who was pouring coffee for a customer at the counter. She noticed that Abigail had cocked her head to the side and Elizabeth looked in that direction. Sitting at a booth was Lee and Rosemary. "Look who's here, Honey."

Jack looked over at the same time that Rosemary saw them. "Hi there! We just got here and haven't ordered yet. Come and join us!" Rosie said.

Jack leaned down to whisper in Elizabeth's ear. "Should we join them and share our news?"

"Yes." Elizabeth whispered back. "Rosie is going to notice the ring. Better prepare yourself because she is going to squeal when she finds out" She giggled then turned her attention back to Abigail. "Would you join us at their table? We have something we want to tell you."

Abigail nodded, raised her eyebrow at Elizabeth, and then grabbed a pot of coffee. Fortunately the café was slow today and she could take a few minutes to find out what Elizabeth's news was.

When they got to the table, Rosie had slid into the booth Lee was sitting on, allowing Jack and Elizabeth to share the other side. Abigail filled their coffee cups, then pulled a chair from a nearby table to join them.

Elizabeth, still wearing her gloves, pulled the right one off before setting up the scene. "Jack and I have something very important to tell you." She paused dramatically. She was 99 % certain Rosie would know the news without any hints.

Rosie looked back and forth between Elizabeth and Jack's faces, then her own lit up when she figured it out. "OMG! You are getting married!"

Elizabeth laughed, then pulled the glove off her left hand and raised it in the air for Rosie to see. "Yes, we are." She said excitedly.

Rosie gasped when she saw the ring. "Elizabeth, it's beautiful! Great job, Jack! I am so happy for you both."

"Me too, Jack." Lee stood up to shake hands with Jack, then he gave him a man hug.

"Thanks guys." Jack replied with a grin on his face.

Abigail stood up then and hugged Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, I am so happy for you too. I knew the first time I saw you together that you would get married." Abigail's eyes welled up with happy tears. She always considered Elizabeth to be a sister.

Elizabeth slid off the booth and went to hug Abigail. She too felt like Abigail was a sister, so much more than Viola was but in a different way than Julie. "Thank you, Abigail."

The impromptu celebration calmed down and everyone went back to their seats. "Abigail, Jack and I have something we want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Would you be willing to let us have our reception here at the café?" Elizabeth bit her lip while she waited for an answer.

Abigail put her hand to her heart. She was so touched that Elizabeth had asked that. She knew what had happened between Elizabeth and her father. It had crossed her mind rather quickly that Mr. Thatcher most likely would not be walking her down the aisle. Elizabeth would not be having a big wedding with the reception in one of the hotels, but then Abigail knew Elizabeth. That just wasn't her style and while she didn't know Jack that well, she just knew he felt the same way. Abigail smiled at Elizabeth. "I would love to host your reception here." She wiped away a tear of happiness from her eyes.

"Thank you, so much Abigail. We decided on April 8th for the wedding. I hope that works for you."

"Ah, a spring wedding. I love it. And yes, that date is fine."

"I have something else to ask. Would you and Rosie be bridesmaids? That is if you think you can handle catering duties as well as bridesmaids duties."

Rosie was already squealing before Elizabeth finished. "Of course I will. I am pretty good in the kitchen too so I could help Abigail."

"I would love to a bridesmaid." Abigail replied. "I am a master at multitasking. It should be no problem to do both."

"Thank you, both of you." Elizabeth squeezed both of their hands. "Abigail, do you think Frank would be willing to perform the ceremony? Given that Jack and I aren't members of your church?" Frank was Abigail's husband and was pastor at a neighborhood congregation.

"I think he would. He thinks of you like a little sister, just as I do. He may want you to start coming to the church regularly and take some marital classes. I will ask him tonight and let you know."

"Thank you, so much. I know I keep saying but I am really appreciative of what you guys are doing." She turned back to Jack, who had been talking to Lee while she had been talking with Abigail.

"Lee is going to be an usher." Jack told her.

"That's great!" Elizabeth smiled at Lee. She was so grateful to her friends for being part of their wedding. She hoped that the time between now and April 8th would go by quickly.

Jack and Elizabeth returned home just as the first flakes of snow started to fall. They dumped their packages in the guest bedroom then separated to get comfortable for the evening. Jack got changed first and went to the kitchen to make dinner. He was going to make chicken pot pie with the leftovers from the night before.

Elizabeth came out a few minutes later and walked into the kitchen. She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "I love you, Jack."

Jack turned around and lowered his head so that his lips met hers. "I love you, too, Sweetheart." He pulled her closer as he kissed her. "I am making chicken pot pie for dinner."

"Yum! Sounds delicious. Do you need any help?"

"Sure. Would you chop up some veggies?"

She nodded and got started. A short time later, dinner was in the oven and the happy couple sat down on the couch. They cuddled together and discussed wedding plans.

"Jack, I want this wedding to be something we are comfortable with. I don't need a flowy, princess gown that weighs a hundred pounds and if you don't want to wear a tux, that is ok. We can have a beautiful wedding that is our style, not something that people expect of us because of who my family is."

"I agree. However, I want to get a new suit. Something new to go with the new dress you are going to get."

"That sounds nice. I know exactly what I want in a dress but I am not going to tell you about it."

"I wouldn't want to know until I see you walking down the aisle."

"Where would you like to go for our honeymoon? I have heard Disney World is a happening place for newlyweds and believe it or not, I have never been there."

"Really?"

"My parents didn't think that was a good vacation spot for people of our background. They took us to Europe and Hawaii, mostly."

"I have never been to Disney either. I would love to go there for our honeymoon."

"Let's check out their web site tonight. The wedding is only a few short months away. We may need to make plans soon."

"That sounds like a great idea. Dinner should be ready. After we eat, we can look at the site and make other wedding plans, if we think about it."

"What a perfect way to spend a snowy evening." Elizabeth gave Jack a passionate kiss, then got up from the sofa. She was so excited to be planning her future with Jack, her soon-to-be husband. She was sure Jack felt the same way.


	13. Sun and Snow

After having a delicious dinner and working together to clean up the kitchen, the happy couple made their way back out to the living room. They paused to look out the window to watch the snow. It was coming down hard, just as the forecast said it would.

"Hard to believe the meteorologists were correct about the weather." Jack remarked.

"It's so pretty, watching it from our cozy apartment, but I can't help but worry that we may get called into work." Elizabeth said. "I should check in with the hospital to see how things are." She walked over to pick up her cell phone.

"I should probably check with work too." Jack headed to the guest room to make his call so he wouldn't disturb Elizabeth. A few minutes later, after learning he was at the bottom of the list to be called in, he returned to the living to see Elizabeth sitting on the couch with her lap top open. He sat down and put his arm around her. "Does the hospital need you tonight?"

'No. Given the magnitude of the storm people are actually heeding the warnings and staying inside. The ER isn't any busier that it usually is and they have enough staff on. They are only going to call me in as a last resort. How about you?"

"The same."

"I started looking at the Disney web site while I waited for you. I put in the dates we might want to go and there seem to be a lot of hotels we can choose from. I have heard from people at work that it's better to stay on site because they have a good transportation system. They even have their own transportation from the airport so we won't need to rent a car unless there were places off Disney property we want to go."

"From what I hear there is more than enough things to do at Disney that we wouldn't want to leave to visit any other parks, like Universal."

"I heard that too." Elizabeth replied.

"Where should we start with our honeymoon planning?"

"How much time do you want to spend there? I have roll over vacation days from this year so I have plenty of time to take a long honeymoon, say maybe ten days unless you don't have that much time."

"I have roll over vacation time too. Ten days sounds great to me." He leaned over to give her a kiss.

As they parted, she gave him a big smile. "So ten days it is. Do you want to leave the day of the wedding or the next day? I was reading about their airport transportation system. Disney will take care of our luggage when we arrive in Orlando but only from five in the morning to ten at night. I don't really like the idea of having to rush to leave for the airport on the day we get married."

"No, I wouldn't like that much either. We could either come back here for the wedding night or maybe spend the night in a hotel."

"A hotel sounds great. It would be something special for us to remember."

"Hold that thought." Jack said then walked to the guest room to grab notebook he had seen in there. He returned a minute later. "I am going to take notes as we go along."

"Great. So we will leave on April 9 and stay through the 18th. Let me put those dates in and we can see what hotels are available."

"I am so excited about our wedding and honeymoon. I can't wait." Jack looked at her with twinkling eyes.

"I feel the same way." She kissed him, passionately. They only parted when they both needed air. By that time the list of hotels was up.

As Elizabeth scrolled down the list of hotels, Jack started to feel a little over whelmed. "Look at all those hotels. How do we pick one?"

"One of my nurses, Emma, went there on her honeymoon last year. She mentioned that the hotels are grouped together. Some are by Magic Kingdom, some by Epcot, some by the shopping area and there is one near Animal Kingdom. We just need to decide what area we would like to be close to."

"That makes it easier. What area do you think we should pick?"

"I was thinking Epcot area. Epcot has a lot of things I want to check out. I thought about a hotel at Magic Kingdom but they are a lot more expensive. I am for staying in a deluxe hotel but I have limits on how much I want to spend and the hotels near Epcot are in the range I like." Elizabeth paused to look at Jack. "I would like to buy a house with you someday. I don't to blow my entire savings on our honeymoon."

Jack turned towards her and kissed her. "I have been thinking about a house, too. I agree with you about wanting to keep some of our savings for that purpose." He pulled her into his arms for a hug. "I love you, Elizabeth."

She melted in his arms. "I love you too, Jack." They stayed in each other's arms for a few minutes, before she pulled away. "Now the hotels are themed so we just have to pick one with a theme we like. I was thinking the Boardwalk hotel because it is reminiscent of the Boardwalk at Atlantic City. There are places we can go to at night." Elizabeth brought up the info page for the Boardwalk and get her lap top to Jack for him to read.

Jack scanned he page and smiled. "This hotel sounds great. I wouldn't mind staying there."

"The hotel is within walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood studios and if we don't want to walk, they have boat service to both parks."

"That works for me. Are there other hotels in this area?"

"Yes, there are sister hotels, The Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts. They are New England themed. They look nice too but I thought maybe since we are from New England we should try the Boardwalk. They are very nice looking and they have same transportation modes. I read that they have one of the best pools amongst the Disney hotels." Elizabeth turned the lap top towards her and opened two new windows so she could bring up the other hotels.

Jack looked over the hotel choices. "Hmm, tough choice. They all seem very nice."

"They do. I have an idea. Disney is very big on celebrations. Like birthdays, first time visits, anniversaries and of course, weddings. They have a huge wedding business down there."

Jack grinned at her. "So your idea is we get married down there?"

She sent him a look, playfully slapped his arm, and then laughed. "While the idea has merit, it is also very expensive. Plus we have people we would want to invite that may not be able to go. What my idea was to call the Disney Travel Line and mention that we are planning a honeymoon trip and take it from there. I have heard the travel agents are excellent in helping people plan the perfect trip." She leaned over to kiss him. "Emma told me she had mentioned she was going on her honeymoon when she planned her trip and they made a note in the computer with all her reservations and when they checked in, they were given buttons to wear that said they were on their honeymoon. She told me they got their room upgraded and at a lot of the restaurants gave them complimentary champagne to celebrate."

"Wow! Nice! I think we should call the travel number. Let's put the phone on speaker so we can both talk."

"Sounds good!" Elizabeth kissed him, then grabbed her cell phone. A half an hour later, they had booked their honeymoon. They ended up going with the Boardwalk because the hotels did not have room available for the entire time they would be there. The agent talked to them about the dining plans and they decided to book one. They also made a few dinner reservations have hearing from the agent that some restaurants sell out fast. They were even able to book airline reservations and get registered for the Disney Magical Express service that would take them to and from the airport.

After they were done with the call, Jack put his arms around her. "I am so glad you suggested we call Disney. We were able to so many questions answered."

"Me too." Elizabeth leaned over to kiss him. Just as her lips touched his, the lights flickered and then went completely out. Elizabeth pulled away and reached for a flash light that she had placed on the coffee table. "Well, we knew this might happen with the storm." She said to Jack.

"Yes we did. I guess we should go to the bedroom and get under the covers. It is going to get cold in here very quickly." He got up and pulled Elizabeth to her feet. They walked down to her bedroom and she retreated to the bathroom to change while Jack went around the bedroom lighting the candles that she had placed earlier. When she emerged from the bathroom, he went in to change while she went to her closet to get some extra blankets. She crawled into bed to wait for Jack. It was going to be a long, cold night but they would keep each other warm, snuggling under the blankets.


	14. Snowed In

Early the next morning, with the power still out, Jack and Elizabeth ate cold Pop Tarts for breakfast. Then they sank back down in bed and snuggled some more. When they had gone to bed the night before, they spent several hours just talking and holding each other. They learned so many new things about each other.

"Jack," Elizabeth sat up slightly in bed. "Want to talk about what we would like for our wedding? Get our ideas out in the open?"

Jack smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "That sounds like a great idea. I will go brave the cold and get a notepad." A quick minute later, he was back and under the covers once again. "Where should we start?"

"We have the first step down by picking our wedding day. We also have our reception site picked so that's out of the way. Abigail is asking Frank about doing our ceremony and if he says yes, we can have it at his church. If not, we will still need a place but I don't see that as a problem. I know a doctor and nurse who got married in the hospital chapel and it was a beautiful ceremony, so if we had to we could have it there. Not that it's my second choice or anything; it's just an option."

"Got it." Jack nodded. "Should we talk about what kind of ceremony we want or should we wait until we hear from Abigail?"

"We should wait. We can talk about clothes and colors for the wedding party. Also what we may want to talk about what food we may want for the reception. Put some ideas down on paper and then discuss it with Abigail."

"OK, that sounds like a plan."

"First though, I am going to call my mother and Julie. I want to tell them together. Maybe meet them for coffee or lunch early next week."

"That sounds like a good idea. Do you want me to come with you?"

"If you can, that would be great. I will suggest coffee on Monday morning, since we both aren't going into work until ten." Jack nodded in agreement then waited while Elizabeth made her calls. Once she was done, she turned her attention back to her handsome fiancée. "All set. Eight am Monday morning at the Back Bay hotel where Mom is staying."

"I can't believe she is still staying there. She must have been really angry."

"Mom has tried to talk to Daddy but he refuses to see reason. She keeps getting more and more frustrated. Until he is willing to sit down and talk civilly, she is not going to return home. She has plenty of work to keep her busy at the hotel and once we tell her about the wedding, she will want to help us plan."

"Elizabeth, Sweetheart, I never asked you this but what happens if your father refuses to understand that you need to live your own life? Is it going to bother you if he can't walk you down the aisle?"

Elizabeth pondered her answer for a few minutes before answering. "Every little girl wants their daddy to walk them down the aisle when they get married. I was no different. I will be sad if he doesn't see reason, but I won't let it bother me. I will ask my mother to give me away. Mothers do that now and I know she would be very happy to do it. It's his loss if he doesn't want to listen to reason and let me have my own life."

"That's right, it is his loss. I would never do anything like that to you or any daughter's, scratch that, any children we might have. Part of life is learning from one's mistakes. He is not letting you or Julie do that by demanding that you stop being nurses. If it's a mistake, which for you I know isn't then you need to find out for yourself."

Elizabeth put her hands on his face and leaned in to kiss him. "That is one of the reasons I love you so much, Jack. You see reason."

"I love you, too."

"Let's go back to our wedding plans. I was thinking the men should just wear suits, no tuxes or anything too fancy."

"No tux works great for me." Jack grinned. "Should I get a new suit or is that something we can rent from a tux shop?"

"I think you can rent one. It might be easier that way the men in your party match. We can look into that when the wedding is closer."

"That works." Jack reached over to caress her face.

"I was thinking about lavender as my color. Lavender roses are my favorite flower and I am hoping I can have them in my bouquet. Plus it's a good spring color."

"I didn't know you love lavender roses. I don't think I have ever seen one." Jack mentioned, while he made a mental note in his mind to remember her favorite flower.

"Yes, they are different. When most people think of roses, they think red, pink or yellow. I like being a little different." She grinned.

"It's not that it makes you different, it makes you special." Jack gazed into her beautiful blue eyes. "I don't mind lavender for the color theme for the wedding." He added that to his list.

"Great." Elizabeth said, feeling giddy inside. "What kind of cake would you like? My favorite flavor is marble."

"That's when the cake is vanilla and the chocolate cake is mixed in?"

"Yes."

"I like that idea. I can never decide between vanilla and chocolate cake. This way I get them both."

"Perfect. This is so much easier than I thought. I am going to enjoy this while I can. I am sure the closer we get to the wedding, I am going to want to pull my hair out."

"Let's hope not. I will help you with whatever I can just so you won't get too stressed out."

Elizabeth was about to reply when her phone rang. "It's my mother." She told Jack as she answered it. "Mom? Is something wrong?"

"Not at all, Beth. Julie just came by the hotel because she lost power at her place too. I wanted to see if you and Jack wanted to come over, maybe spend the night here and then we can have our talk. Before you say anything, I don't have a problem with you and Jack sleeping in the same bed."

Elizabeth's cheeks burned and she was sure she turned red. She had a talk with her mother about asking Jack to move is with her and she had said that while she wanted to share a bed with him, she wasn't ready for anything more. Grace had understood, much to Elizabeth's relief. It still didn't stop her from feeling embarrassed. "Let me ask him." She put the phone down. "Mom invited us to come over to the hotel and stay the night. Julie lost power too and is already there. Mom figured we could have our talk with them today. Oh, and she told me she doesn't mind us sleeping in the same bed."

Jack chuckled. "No wonder you turned red. In answer to her question, if you are fine with staying there tonight, then so am I."

"Mom? We will be over in a little while. Thank you."

"See you soon, Beth."

Jack and Elizabeth quickly got some cloths together and made their way over to the hotel. The snow had stopped and the slow plows were out in full force trying to clear the city roads. The T was running slow too, so it took them longer to get to their destination. When they arrived, several of the hotel employees waived at Elizabeth as they walked through the lobby to the elevators. Elizabeth pressed the penthouse button and soon they were walking down the hall to her mother's room. Elizabeth knocked on the door.

Julie ran to the door and opened it in excitement. "Sister! You made it! What is it that you want to talk to us about?" Julie barely let them in the room before she was asking all sorts of questions. She hovered over the couple while they took off their coats and gloves. Elizabeth was flustered with Julie's questions and excitement that she didn't pay attention that she had taken off her left glove until Julie screamed. "I knew it! I knew it! You're engaged!" She grabbed Elizabeth's hand to look at the rin

Elizabeth turned to Jack and shrugged her shoulders. She then turned to her surprised mother. "I'm sorry it came out this way. I had hoped to sit down with you and announce it."

Grace walked over to her middle daughter and gave her a hug. She felt tears forming in her eyes. She pulled back to look into Elizabeth's eyes, which were also tear filled. "Oh, Beth! I am so happy for you, for both of you." She turned towards Jack and nodded. "I admit I would rather have been sitting when I heard the news but we all know Julie. Somehow her noticing your ring right away and screaming makes this moment perfect." She kissed her daughter again then turned to Jack. "I know you will make a great husband. I saw just how loving and caring you are the day I met you, when you were taking care of our Beth after the attack. All I ask is you continue to take care of her the rest of your lives." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

Jack returned the squeeze. "You have my word. Elizabeth is my life. I will always keep her safe and loved." Jack felt himself get a little emotional too.

"Sister, my future brother, let's go sit down and talk about the wedding. Have you started making plans?" Julie couldn't contain herself.

They all sat down at a table which had tea and a plate of goodies on it. Jack had brought his notebook. He opened it up to the pages they had written down their notes, then took a cupcake to eat while they talked.

"We were actually discussing the wedding when you called." Elizabeth told her mother. "Mom, the first thing I want to discuss is with you personally. If Daddy doesn't come to his senses by the wedding, would you give me away?" A tear slid down her cheek. Jack noticed and reached over to wipe it away before taking her hand. She smiled at him, letting him know without words that she was glad he was here with her.

Grace looked sad for a moment. So did Julie. Grace, who was sitting on the other side of Elizabeth, grabbed her other hand and squeezed. "If he doesn't see reason, then yes I would be honored to give you away, Beth." Mother and daughter then hugged.

Elizabeth got up and walked over to where Julie was sitting. Julie watched her, getting even more excited. She just knew Elizabeth was going to ask her to be a bridesmaid. "Julie, would you be my maid of honor?"

"I would love to be a brides…." Julie trailed off as she realized what Elizabeth asked. "Did you say you want me to be your maid of honor?" She whispered, something that was very un-Julie like.

Elizabeth tried not to laugh. It wasn't often that Julie was rendered silent. "Yes I did, Sister." Elizabeth then braced herself for Julie's reaction.

"Oh, Beth! I would love, love, love to be your maid of honor. Thank you for asking me!" She through her arms around her big sister and gave her a huge hug.

Elizabeth untangled herself from Julie's embrace and sat back down. "We decided to get married on April 8th. I know that's only a short time from now but Jack and I want a small wedding. It won't take much to plan."

Grace thought it over for a moment before realizing that Elizabeth was right. "Beth, I had always thought I would plan big affairs for my daughters' weddings but of the three, you are the one who would most want a small, simple wedding. That is fine by me."

"Thank you, Mom." Elizabeth hugged her again. "We talked to Abigail and she is going to let us have the reception there. She does at great job catering for small functions in the café. It will be perfect for us."

"I know. I went to a private function there once. The food was fabulous. Abigail made a prime rib that was out of this world. Even better than our chefs in the hotels make. Have you decided on where you want to have the ceremony?"

"Abigail's husband is a pastor and she is asking him if we can have our ceremony there. We may start attending his church. If he won't marry us we will have to look somewhere else."

"Let me know. I have some ideas of places for your ceremony." Elizabeth looked at Jack and they both nodded in acceptance."

"Sister, are you having any other attendants?"

"Yes, I asked Rosie and Abigail. She said she is great at multi-tasking and can make the food for our reception and be a bridesmaid."

"So, Jack." Julie turned to her future brother-in-law. "Who is your best man going to be? Is he handsome, too?"

Jack looked uncomfortable while Elizabeth and Grace gasped out Julie's name. They turned to her and glared. "Julie Marie Thatcher! That will be enough!" Grace shook her head at her youngest daughter.

"Sorry, Jack". Julie said but it didn't look like she meant it.

"I decided I want my color to be lavender." Elizabeth quickly moved on to something else. "We also decided on a marble cake."

Grace smiled. "I knew you those would be your choices. It will make planning easier since I have a good idea of what you want."

"I want the men to wear suits, not tuxes. We are going to look into renting the suits."

"Good. How about food? Have you had a chance to talk about your menu yet?"

"No we haven't. We were going to discuss that today and then check with Abigail. You mentioning the rib roast got me thinking about having that. We could have it at a carving station. Are you ok with that, Honey?" Elizabeth turned to Jack, but she already knew his answer. He was a carnivore at heart.

"Sounds good to me." He winked at her.

"I think we should also have a chicken dish."

"Yes, that's a good idea." Grace agreed. "Then choose some sides to go with the main course. Abigail will help you with all of that. Now, do you want her to also make your cake or would you like one of the pastry chefs from the hotels make it for you?"

Elizabeth looked at Jack. "What do you think? I love the cakes and other desserts the chefs from the hotels make. It might be better for Abigail not to have to worry about making a cake too."

"Was the cupcake I ate made by one of those chefs?" Grace nodded. "Then I say yes. It was the best cupcake I ever tasted."

"Splendid." Grace grabbed a notebook of her own and wrote it down. "Do you want just the cake for dessert or do you want some other sweets too?"

"Mom, I want to think about that for a while. It will all depend on how many people we invite."

"All right. That makes sense." Grace smiled. "I am so excited for you both. Jack, you did a great job picking out the ring. It's exquisite."

"Thank you, Grace."

"We are going to celebrate tonight. Order whatever you want from the room service menu. I recommend getting the prime rib, Jack. You will love it."

"Thank you. I think I will.

The rest of the day was spent discussing wedding details. Both Grace and Jack were busy taking notes. Julie, who should have been studying for finals, decided instead to look at dresses on line. She begged Elizabeth to go shopping after she was finished with finals. Elizabeth got her to agree to wait until after the New Year, so she could check with her bridesmaids about when they could go too. She would start making calls to bridal shops to set up appointments. Elizabeth was so happy, happier than she had ever been in her life. She couldn't wait to become Elizabeth Thornton.


	15. Surprise!

Two months had passed since the engagement. William was still giving the women in his life, except for his eldest daughter, a hard time. Elizabeth had invited Julie and Grace over on Christmas Eve. Abigail had stopped by for a few minutes and the women spent some time discussing wedding plans. Frank was honored and touched that Elizabeth and Jack wanted him to marry them. They were going to attend his Christmas Eve service and start going regularly on Sundays, depending on their work schedule. Right after Abigail left to help Frank with the holiday service, William showed up. He must have had spies at the Back Bay hotel or something because he knew his wife and youngest daughter would be at his middle daughter's apartment.

When he arrived, Elizabeth just knew he was going to cause trouble. He started right in about how being a nurse was not the career suited for his daughters and then ordered them both to quit. He didn't care that Rosemary and Lee were witnessing the whole thing. All three Thatcher women began yelling at him. Elizabeth begged him to see reason, that he would never be a part of her life again if he didn't let her life her own life. She then told him she was engaged and that she wanted him to give her away. William couldn't believe it. He didn't understand why Elizabeth would want to marry a cop and he said if she married Jack, he would not be giving her away, she would not have his blessing. Elizabeth started crying and yelling at him how he had just ruined her Christmas.

Grace looked at her daughter as Jack and Julie tried to console her. She couldn't believe that he had just shut his daughter out of his life. She didn't know what was happening to her husband but she did not like it. He was not the man she fell in love with over thirty years ago. She wondered if maybe he was sick and even mentioned he should see a doctor, but of course, he refused. Then she let him have it, saying that he needed to sit down and think hard about where his life is now. If he continued on this path, he would lose Elizabeth, Julie and herself. It was then that she said out loud what she had only been thinking about. She was considering getting a divorce and was going to contact an attorney after the New Year. William stormed out of Elizabeth's apartment, leaving everyone sad and no longer feeling the joy of the Christmas holiday.

Jack couldn't understand why William was acting that way. He didn't like it at all. Elizabeth did her best to go on with her life; that her father wouldn't be a part of it anymore but it made her sad. Jack hated to see the sadness come into her eyes when something would remind her of her father, especially when they were making their wedding plans.

With Valentine's Day approaching, Jack decided he wanted to do something extra special for Elizabeth. Not just because it was the first one they would celebrate together but also because she deserved it after all she was going through with her father. She deserved to know that she is loved. He decided to talk to Rosie about his idea, to get her input and see if she could somehow arrange it so that Elizabeth could have five days off at Valentine's Day. He wanted to take Elizabeth away on a warm getaway. His Aunt had a time share in Sarasota, Florida and she wasn't using it this year since it reminded her too much of her husband. She had said she would love it if Jack would take Elizabeth there.

Rosemary loved the idea. On one of Elizabeth's days off, she rounded together all the nurses who were on and told them of Jack's plans. They had all been so excited when Elizabeth had announced her engagement and they were all appreciative when she would volunteer to work on holidays so a nurse with children could get the time off. They all happily agreed to help Rosemary with a schedule so that Elizabeth could take the time off.

Jack made all the arrangements, right down to picking a very special restaurant for Valentine's Day. He made the reservation in advance, knowing how hard it would be to get a table if they waited. He also called a local florist to see if they could get him lavender roses. They appreciated him calling ahead and said they would be very pleased to help him get his fiancée's favorite flower. Now, all that was left was to let Elizabeth in on his plans. He would have liked nothing more than to surprise her when they got to Florida but he knew she would appreciate him telling her ahead of time so she could pack properly. They were leaving on February 12, so he decided to tell her on February 8th, giving her time if she needed to shop.

The day had arrived to tell Elizabeth his plans. He came home early and made a roast beef for dinner. He got her favorite dessert, chocolate mousse cheesecake and miraculously found lavender roses at the local florist. He set candles on the table and put on soft, romantic music in the background. Now, all he had to do was wait for her to come home. He didn't have to wait long.

Elizabeth came home with a huge smile on her face. Jack hadn't seen that big of a smile on her face in a while. Something certainly made her excited and he wondered what it was. She quickly removed her coat and walked over to him, giving him an extra special kiss. "Hi, Handsome!" She said, all giddy inside. "Guess what happened to me today?"

Jack grinned at her giddiness. "I don't know. You won a million dollars?" He shrugged as he guessed, knowing that wasn't the right answer.

"Oh, you silly man." She bubbled, giving him another kiss. "I delivered a baby all by myself out in the ambulance bay area."

"What?"

"A man came running into the ER frantically asking for help. His wife had just gone into labor a short time before they arrived, but the baby wanted to join this world really fast. He said his wife could feel the baby coming a block from the hospital. I ran out to check her and sure enough, the head was crowning. Rosie followed me with a delivery kit and I helped the mother give birth. It was the first time I have delivered a baby by myself."

"Wow, that's exciting. What did she have?"

"A girl and they are naming her Elizabeth. Elizabeth Grace. They hadn't been able to decide on a girl's name and they both liked Elizabeth. Then they asked me what my mother's name is. They said they wanted to honor both me and the woman who brought me into the world. I cried when they said that. After, I called my mother to tell her and she cried too."

Jack chuckled. "I am feeling a little emotional myself over that story. I am so happy for you." He kissed her. He took her hand and led her towards the kitchen. "I made a special dinner for us tonight."

It was then that Elizabeth noticed that the room had been set for a romantic meal. It looked like he had made a Valentine's Day dinner. Suddenly she got the feeling he was going to tell her he had to work. She had been looking forward to have the day off since the nurses had decided to let her enjoy her first Valentine's Day with Jack. "Jack, please don't tell me you have to work on Valentine's Day so you made our special dinner tonight." Her voice took on an edge.

Jack looked at her, surprised. He hadn't expected her to react that way. "No, Sweetheart. I have the day off, like we planned. I am so sorry you thought I might be working. I have a surprise for you and I wanted to give it you during a romantic meal." He brought her to the table and pulled out her chair while she sat down. Then he went to get the envelope with the travel information. He had planned on waiting until dessert to give it to her but he decided he better do it first, to relieve her mind. "Elizabeth, Sweetheart, I guess you could say this is our Valentine's Day meal, but not in the way you think. Let's just say this is the beginning of our first Valentine's Day as a couple." He put the envelope down in front of her then leaned in to kiss her. He pulled a chair over to sit next to her while she opened her gift.

Elizabeth gave him a curious look. "Jack, what do you have going on?" He nodded towards the envelope, beckoning her to open it. She shrugged her shoulders and reached inside the envelope. Her eyes went wide when she saw the airline confirmation for a trip to Sarasota. "Jack, you are taking me to Florida for Valentine's Day?" She asked, getting very excited.

"Yes, Sweetheart! You deserve to have a few days off in the warm sunshine." He had to stop talking because Elizabeth had jumped into his arms and kissed him, passionately. When they parted, he found it hard to speak. When he recovered his voice, he explained some of his plans to her. "My Aunt Cindy has a time share there. She didn't want to go this year because she is still missing her husband so much. So I called her and asked if we could use it and explained why. She was so happy to let us use it. It's within walking distance to a private beach only to be used by people in the time share community. I thought it would be great to just relax and catch some rays for a few days."

"Oh, Jack! That sounds wonderful! Thank you so much for thinking of it. And thank you for telling me today so I would have time to get organized for the trip." She continued to sit on his lap and shower him with kisses.

Jack knew she was going to be excited but if he had known she would react this way, he would have told her about it days ago. The only thing he could do was sit there and enjoy the thank you kisses. Eventually, he pulled away, before dinner was ruined. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart to break this up but I need to check on dinner before it burns."

Elizabeth quickly jumped off his lap. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was so excited about the trip I forgot about the wonderful smelling dinner you prepared. Do you want some help serving?" She started to walk towards the kitchen with him.

"No, thank you. I got it. You sit down and look through the travel plans if you want."

"OK." She sat back down at the table but instead decided to think about what a wonderful man she had fallen in love with. How great it was that he had planned this special trip just for her, to help her forget about her father and to spend time together as a couple. She couldn't wait for dinner to be over so she could continue thanking him for his most thoughtful gift.

The next few days went by quickly. Elizabeth spent most of her spare time trying to decide what to bring. She wanted a new bathing suit but didn't like the scarce selections in the stores. Julie suggested she bring one of her old ones and look for a new one once she arrived in Florida. Elizabeth liked that idea but just in case, she packed two old ones. As she was packing, she realized she was being silly about getting a new suit. Jack hadn't seen her in her old ones. He was bound to be very surprised when he saw her in her bikini. She then packed several pairs of shorts and sleeveless tops as well as a couple of dresses and skirts. She hoped they would be going out to eat on Valentine's Day and she wanted to dress nicely. Come to think of it, even if they stayed home on that night, she wanted to look nice.

Finally the day they were to leave arrived. Even though it had only been four days since Jack had told her about the trip, the days had dragged. She couldn't wait to get going. Jack had booked an early flight, eight in the morning. He had wanted to be able to spend as much of the day as possible there. Elizabeth hardly slept the night before anyway because she was so excited. She ended up taking a nap on the plane, resting her head on Jack's shoulder. He smiled when he saw her sleeping. He loved this woman so much and couldn't want to not only have this mini vacation with her but the rest of his life with her. He kissed her on her forehead then settled in to sleep a little bit too.

 _Next chapter will be about their Valentine's Day vacation. It may be a short chapter and then I will move ahead with their wedding._


	16. The Day Is Here

Before Elizabeth knew it, April 7th arrived, the night before her wedding. Time had gone by faster than she thought, since the wonderful mini vacation Jack had taken her on for Valentine's Day. They spent their time talking about the wedding and their plans for the future. They both decided they wanted to have children right away, so during the trip, Elizabeth stopped taking her birth control pills. As a nurse, she knew it could take a few months for the medication to leave her system. They also discussed buying a house. It was something they both wanted to do and they decided to start looking over the summer.

Plans for their wedding went smoothly. The menu was set, including the cake and desserts being made by the chef at the Back Bay Hamilton hotel. The flowers were ordered, suits rented and dresses were altered. The Magic Bands from Disney had arrived and were placed in Jack's back pack, which they planned to use while they were in the parks. New clothes had been bought for the trip, with some surprises Elizabeth had gotten with Jack in mind. As a special gift for Jack and Elizabeth, Grace had reserved the honeymoon suite at the Cambridge Hamilton Hotel to stay in on their wedding night.

The only thing that still bothered Elizabeth was her father. He still refused to see reason. At least once a month he would call or show up at her door and attempt to get her to quit her job and break up with Jack. He wouldn't even try to get to know Jack. In William's deluded mind, Thatcher women did not marry cops. It didn't matter that Grace told him Jack was a fine young man who was a perfect match for their daughter. That Jack's number one priority in life was protecting Elizabeth. Grace had several more arguments with her husband; he was being extremely difficult about the divorce proceedings. Grace and Elizabeth both finally came to the realization that William would not be giving his daughter away and that he lost Elizabeth forever.

For the last week, Elizabeth had been staying with her mother at the hotel. Even though she missed Jack's presence in bed, she wanted to make their wedding extra special and thought sleeping apart would help. Jack, who was going to miss her terribly had agreed to the idea. He was looking forward to the wedding and the wedding night. Be together so much had been a test on their belief to wait until they were married but they both felt they were strong enough to handle it. Elizabeth had purchased something extra special for the occasion. She bought a midnight blue negligee with lace on the bodice and on the hem line. It fell to just above her knee and hugged her curves nicely.

Just then her cell phone rang, bringing her out of her thoughts. She saw it was Jack calling as she picked up her phone. "Hello, Honey!"

"Hi, Sweetheart! How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Anxious for tomorrow to be here."

"Me too." He replied. "I just had to call you and see how you are doing. We won't see each other until you walk down the aisle towards me."

"I know. 11 am can't come soon enough for me." They had decided they wanted a late morning wedding and a lunch reception. Then they would be taken to the Cambridge hotel in a limo Grace had arranged to take them there and to the airport the next day. Elizabeth glanced at the clock just then and noticed it was after 10. She needed to try and get some sleep since she had an early morning. "Jack, as much as I hate to say goodnight, I need to get to bed. I have to get up early in the morning to get ready."

"I understand. I will be getting up early too, that is if I can fall asleep. I am so excited that our day is here."

"I know what you mean. I love you, Jack Thornton!"

"I love you too, Elizabeth Thatcher, soon to be Elizabeth Thornton."

The next morning, Elizabeth woke up at 6am. She smiled happily as she realized her wedding day had finally arrived. She glanced around her room and saw her wedding dress hanging in its bag on the closet it door. She chose an off white satin dress with a sweetheart neckline and covered in lace, with rose bud shaped buttons trailing down her back. She would be wearing a short veil made of lace that matched her dress. Her bouquet would have lavender roses with an off white orchid in the center. Her bridesmaids would be wearing lavender dresses in different styles, tailored to each of their personal tastes. They would carry a bouquets of white carnations and lavender roses.

A knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts. "Elizabeth are you up?" Julie asked

"Yes, come in, Julie!" She laughed as Julie practically bounced into the room and jumped on the bed.

"It's your wedding day, Sister. You get to married that delectable man today!"

"I know and I can't wait." She replied as Grace came into the room. "Good Morning, Mother."

"Happy Wedding Day, Beth!" She joined her daughters on the bed. "I had room service deliver some food for us. I know you may not feel like eating but you should at least try."

"I think I can eat." Elizabeth got out of bed and grabbed her robe. She hugged her mother and sister. "Thank you for supporting me all this time and being with me on my wedding day."

Grace kissed her daughter's cheek. "I wouldn't be anywhere else. I am so honored to be walking you down the aisle." She said as the women walked out to the living room area. An assortment of baked goods had been brought up, with some fruit, juice and coffee. "I didn't think you would want to eat that much this morning but if you something else, I can order it for you."

"No this is great." Elizabeth said as she reached for a blueberry muffin and poured herself a cup of coffee. Grace and Julie joined Elizabeth at the table, where they talked about Elizabeth growing up and the coming wedding that day.

Over at the apartment, Jack woke up nervous. He didn't know why. Elizabeth was the right woman for him, he had no doubt about that. Maybe his nerves were about William Thatcher causing trouble for them today. He quickly shook the thoughts out of his mind and went to go take a shower. Tom, Lee and David, his sergeant, would be stopping by soon to get ready for the wedding.

Back at the hotel, Rosemary and Abigail had joined the Thatcher women. They were having their hair and makeup done. Soon it was time to get on their dresses while the hair dresser finished up on Elizabeth's hair. She wanted to wear it pulled back with her curls flowing down her back. The women were ready when it was time for Elizabeth to put on her dress.

"Ok, let's go through the saying. Elizabeth, what do you have that is old?" Julie asked.

"I have that for you, Beth as well as the something borrowed and blue." Grace walked over to her Elizabeth with a jewelry box in her hand. "This belong to my great-grandmother, who was the middle daughter in her family. In every generation since, there have been three daughters born and each middle daughter got to wear this on her wedding day, including myself." She opened the box to reveal a beautiful sapphire necklace with matching ear rings. "I know Jack got you that gorgeous opal and sapphire necklace for Christmas but I was hoping you would wear these instead."

"I would love to wear these, Mom. Who am I to break with such a lovely tradition?" She hugged her mother, then reach into the box to put the necklace and earrings on.

"Ok, now all we need is something new." Julie said.

Rosemary and Abigail stepped forward. Abigail put a small box in Elizabeth's hand. "This is from both of us."

Elizabeth opened the box and found a lace garter. When she picked it up, she saw something else; a sixpence for her shoe. "Thank you both so much! We have everything now."

"Let's finish getting you ready. The photographer should be here any minute. We need to take some pictures and then get in the limo to go to the church." Grace said just as a knock sounded on the door. Sure enough it was the photographer, who got to work taking some pictures of the bride's wedding party.

Jack was pacing back and forth in Frank's office. He felt time was standing still and he couldn't relax. He just wanted to know that Elizabeth was at the church. He glanced down at his watch and was surprised to see it was 10:40. Just then, the door opened and Tom and Charlotte, his mother, walked in.

"Elizabeth just got here, Jack. She looks beautiful." Charlotte said as she hugged her son. "I am so happy for you both. She is the best woman for you."

"Thank you, Ma. I wish Dad was here to see this."

"He is, Jack. He is looking down on you and smiling at the wonderful man you have become."

Jack felt a tear form in his eye. He missed his father so much but he wasn't going to let this sadness take over the day. He was marrying the women he loved, his best friend and partner for life. He couldn't wait.

At preciously 11am, Jack and his groomsmen followed Frank out to the sanctuary. He watch Abigail, Rosemary and Julie walked down the aisle. Then the music changed and he looked up to see Grace and Elizabeth standing at the end of the aisle. He felt weak in the knees when he saw Elizabeth. She was breathtaking. Her smile lit up the room. He found himself wondering what he had done in life to deserve her. Finally she was standing next to him, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. He reached down and brushed them away, smiling at her. "I love you!" He whispered.

"I love you, too." She whispered back.

Frank cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join in marriage Elizabeth Michaela Thatcher and Jarrick Matthew Thornton. Who gives this woman to be married here today?"

Grace stepped forward and took Elizabeth's hand. "Her mother does." She replied as she took her daughter's hand and gave it to Jack. "I know you will take care of her Jack. That you will take care of each other." She kissed both of them, then turned to sit down in the front row.

Both Jack and Elizabeth barely remembered the rest of the ceremony. They were staring into each other's eyes the whole time. Finally, they heard Frank say "Jack, you may kiss your bride and Elizabeth, you may kiss your groom."

Jack lifted the veil over her head and leaned down to kiss her. "I love you, Mrs. Thornton." He said softly as he rested his head on her forehead.

"I love you too, Mr. Thornton."

"Ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Jack and Elizabeth Thornton." Everyone in the church stood up and applauded as the happy couple made their way towards the church doors, to the waiting limo outside.

Once they were settled inside, Jack pulled her into his arms and kissed so passionately, it left them both wishing they didn't have the reception to go to. "Just a little preview of tonight, Sweetheart." He kissed her again. "You look amazing. So beautiful. I love this dress."

"Thank you, Jack. You look so very handsome." They kissed again as the limo stopped in front of the café. Elizabeth grabbed the little purse she had brought with her and reapplied her lipstick, then Jack helped her out and into the café. One of the employees took them to Abigail's office where they had some food that Abigail had left for them to have before they had to take more pictures.

The rest of the afternoon seemed to fly by and go slowly all at the same time. Both Elizabeth and Jack enjoyed the celebration with their family and friends but both were anxious to get to the hotel to be alone. Elizabeth barely remembered eating lunch or the toasts that were given. She did remember their first dance. He surprised her by taking dance lessons, after learning she had been quite the dancer when she was younger. He gracefully spun her around the dance floor, dipping her low and kissing her, thrilling the people watching them. They cut the cake, keeping their promise to each other to not smash the cake in each other's faces. Finally it was time to throw the garter and bouquet. Jack hammed it up when he reached up for her garter. He tossed it right into Lee's hands. Rosemary caught the bouquet. They started saying their good-byes while Lee and Rosemary danced. Jack and Elizabeth spent an extra few minutes with each of their mothers, thanking them for everything they had done for them over the years.

Finally, they were sitting in the limo, holding each other and kissing, while they made their way over to the hotel. "I love you so much, Elizabeth Thornton." Jack said as he kissed her.

"I love you too, Jack, with all my heart until the day I die."

"We are going to have a wonderful life together."

"I can't wait." Elizabeth smiled as the limo pulled up in front of the hotel. A doorman rushed over and opened, and helped Elizabeth out.

"Welcome, Miss Thatcher." He said, then blushed, realizing his error. The staff had been told that the owner's daughter was spending her wedding night here. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Thornton."

She smiled at him. "That's quite alright, Danny. You are used to calling me that." Jack walked over to his bride and put an arm around her waist.

"Should we go get checked in?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, although all I need to do is stop and get the room key. Everything else is taken care of." She replied as they walked in to the lobby. Several employees nodded at them and smiled, while others congratulated them. Elizabeth stopped to talk to a couple of the employees, people she had known since she was a child. By the time they made it to the front desk, the hotel manager, who had seen them come in, already had their keys ready. Soon they were at the door of the honeymoon suite. Jack picked her up and carried her over the threshold. He set her down on the floor and closed the door, locking it for the night. He walked over to her and kissed her again, while he picked her up, not breaking the kiss in anyway. He carried her to the bedroom where he placed her gently on the bed.

"I love you, Sweetheart. I can't believe this day is here." He pulled her into his arms and held her close.

"I love you too." She stayed right where she was for a few minutes. "Jack, I'd like to go change."

"Of course. Do you want some help with your dress?"

She nodded her head and stood up from the bed. Jack got up and began unbutton her gown, kissing her neck and shoulders as he went along. She moaned in pleasure and reached up to tough his face. He let out a sound of pleasure and began to quickly work at the buttons. When enough were undone, he slowly turned her around to face him. Her dress slipped from her body, revealing the strapless, lacy bustier she was wearing. He kissed her again, with a passion neither of them had ever experienced before. When they came up for air, Elizabeth began removing his clothes First his jacket, then the buttons on his dress shirt all the way down to his belt and pants. Jack carried her to their bed and gently placed her down. He joined her and they continued the kissing and they began exploring each other's bodies. They made beautiful love to one another, enjoying this new experience together.

A little while later, while snuggling in each other's arms, Jack sat up slightly to look at his beautiful wife. "Are you as happy as I am, Sweetheart?"

"I am deliriously happy, Honey. So happy to be your wife." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Jack, don't get mad but I'm hungry. I was too busy thanking people for coming that I hardly ate anything at lunch. Do you mind if we order room service?"

"Not at all, Sweetheart. I'm hungry too." He got up to get the room service menu and brought it back to bed. They quickly decided what they wanted, then went to get dressed for when their food would be delivered. Elizabeth slipped into the bathroom with her overnight bag. She stood there for a few minutes, taking everything in that had just happened to her. Jack had been so gentle with her. He was amazing and she hoped he felt the same about her. She went to the sink and washed her face and brushed out her hair. She reached into her bag and pulled out the blue negligee she had wanted to wear tonight. She put it on, then looked at herself in the mirror. It still looked good on her. She then put the matching robe on and walked out to the bedroom.

Jack looked up from his place on the bed to see her enter the room. She looked so beautiful, in her blue robe. He patted the bed, inviting her to join him. "That robe looks great on you."

"If you like the robe, wait until you see what is underneath." She winked at him.

He groaned. "You would tell me that when you know dinner will be here soon." He winked back at her, letting her know he was just teasing. He had waited this long to make love to her the first time, he could wait until after dinner to make love again.

After they ate, they returned to the bedroom and held each other. They talked about the wedding and how much they were looking forward to their honeymoon, which led them to start kissing again. Soon they were lost in each other, enjoying the love they were sharing together.


	17. The Honeymoon Part 1

Jack woke up first the next morning, with his beautiful wife curled up next to him in his arms. He watched her sleep, truly amazed by her beauty even at rest. He kissed her forehead then pulled her tighter into his arms. He closed his eyes and just relished the moment. A few minutes later he felt her start to stir. She turned slightly and opened her eyes, smiling at him. "Good Morning, My Sweet Wife!"

"Good Morning, My Handsome Husband. I love you!" She leaned up to kiss him.

He eagerly returned the kiss. "I love you, too." He replied once they parted.

"What time is it?" She asked him.

He propped himself up and glanced at the clock that was on the table on her side of the bed. "It's almost seven."

"Good." She whispered as she kissed him again. "We have some time before we have to leave for the airport." She pulled him towards her and began showering him with more kisses. She brought her arms up over his bare shoulders and started massaging them. He moaned in pleasure and deepened the kisses. When they needed to breathe, he started kissing her face, her neck, arms, and the spot between her breasts that he learned last night was extra sensitive. When she couldn't take it anymore, she moved his head back up to hers and the happy couple made sweet, passionate love.

They got up a short time later to get ready to go to the airport. Their flight was leaving at 10am and they needed to get there by 8. Since they were flying first class, they would be getting breakfast on the flight so they didn't need to worry about eating at the hotel. Their luggage for the trip had been stored by the hotel and they would be taking care of getting it to them limo.

Before they knew it, they had gone through security and were waiting at their gate. Elizabeth turned to Jack and smiled. "I am so excited about our honeymoon. I can't wait to get there."

"Me either. Ten whole days with you. I can't wait to spend alone time with you in our room and then tour the parks with you. It will be great since neither of us have been there before."

"I know. It going to be great."

"So, I forget. Do we have plans for tonight? Like going to one of the parks?"

"No we don't. I have read some of the blogs about Disney and a lot of people said that if you are arriving in the afternoon, it's better not to try going to a park. People suggested going to Disney Marketplace on that first day and maybe get some souvenir shopping done. So I made a reservation for dinner at an Italian restaurant there for 6:30. We can go there early and walk around before going to eat."

"That sounds good to me. I really didn't want to go to a park tonight. I think we are both going to be tired."

"I agree. Oh, I don't think I mentioned this to you. We can have our purchases sent back to the hotel for us so we don't have to carry bags around, either at Disney Market place or at the parks. That is until the last couple of days we are there when they might not be delivered in time before we leave."

"So I don't have to be your personal bag carrier." He grinned at her as she smacked him in the arm. "I'm kidding. Seriously though, that's a great idea Disney has."

"It really is." She replied as they heard their flight being called. "This is it, Honey. Time to board our flight!" She giggled. "I'm so happy, Jack." She grabbed his hand as they got in line to board.

Jack grinned at her. "Me too." They walked down the ramp to the plane. They got settled in their seats and a flight attendant came by to offer them something to drink. They ordered coffee and got settled in for the flight to Orlando.

Four hours later, Jack helped Elizabeth get off the Magical Express bus that had taken them to the Boardwalk Inn. They walked inside and went to check in. They were immediately called to the front desk. "Welcome! Checking in?"

"Yes we are. Reservation under Thornton, Jack Thornton." Jack replied.

"Ah, yes. Here we are. On your honeymoon and you are both first time visitors. Congratulations! The clerk said as she smiled. She reached down into a drawer and pulled out some pins. "If you wear these when you go out in the World, you may get some surprises."

"Thank you." Elizabeth replied as she looked at Jack and smiled. This was what the representative who helped them with their reservation had said.

"Since you are on your honeymoon and are first timers, we are going to upgrade your room. We have a 2 bedroom villa for you."

Jack and Elizabeth looked at each other, surprised. They didn't expect that. "That sounds nice but we don't need two bedrooms." Jack told the girl behind the desk.

"That's ok. I have checked in couples before who get upgraded to the 2 bedroom villa and they use the 2nd bedroom as a place to store their purchases from the parks or put their luggage in."

"That's a good idea. Thanks." Elizabeth said, indicating they would like the upgrade.

"Your villa has a full kitchen and it includes a whirlpool bathtub." The clerk said. "I see you are also on the meal plan. The meal and your room key are stored in the Magic Band as well as your theme park tickets. Do you have a credit card set up on the band so you can charge purchases with it?"

"Yes, we do." Elizabeth said.

"Great! You are all set. Here are the directions to your room. Enjoy your vacation and congratulations again on your marriage."

"Thank you." Jack replied as he put his arm around Elizabeth. They made their way to their room. When they found it, Jack used his band to unlock the door, then swept Elizabeth up in his arms and carried her over the threshold. Once inside their room, he set her down so they could take a look around.

"Oh, Jack. This is beautiful." Elizabeth started looking around. She made note of the kitchen. The girl at the front desk was right. It was a full sized kitchen. "Look at this kitchen, Jack. We could get some groceries in. Maybe stock some breakfast foods if we don't want to eat in the parks."

"That's a great idea." He came over to her and grabbed her hand. "Let's go check out the bedroom."

She laughed at his enthusiasm as she followed him to one of the bedrooms. When they walked in, they saw the whirlpool tub they were told about and knew they were in the master bedroom. The bathroom was big and also had a shower big enough for two. They walked a little further in and found a king sized bed. Jack picked her up and brought her to the bed, placing her gently on top of it. He then sat down next to her. "Feels very comfortable, doesn't it?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"It does, but as much as I would love to try the bed out with you, we don't know when they will arrive with our luggage."

"I know, Sweetheart. I was thinking more in terms of tonight." She nodded. "So should we head over to the shopping area you were telling me about?"

"I would like to change clothes first. I packed some shorts for both us in my carryon bag. Then I would like check out the boardwalk and maybe find the shop where we can pick up some groceries. After we bring the food up here, we can head to Disney Marketplace." She walked back out to the living room and returned with her bag. She opened it up and found the shorts she packed. "Do you want to change shirts? I packed one for you too."

"I think I'm good. Are you changing shirts?"

"Yes, I want to wear a sleeveless top tonight. It is still in the 90's now and it will still be warm tonight." She handed Jack his shorts, then went to change her clothes in the bathroom. After she had changed, she braided her hair and put a baseball cap on her head. She walked out to the bedroom to find Jack lounging on the bed waiting for her. "Ready, Honey?"

Jack looked up and smiled. She looked great. "Yes I am, Beautiful." He tugged gently on the braid. "You look great."

"Thank you." They walked out of their room and down the hall to the elevator. When they made it outside, they were amazed at what they saw. Everything was beautiful. They made their way over to the boardwalk and looked out over the lake towards EPCOT. They watched a ferry boat come in and the people that walked off it. They then moved on to check out the stores and restaurants on the boardwalk. They went into the store that sold groceries and bought some milk, juice and cereal. Once they put the food back in their room, they made their way to the bus stop and waited for the bus that would take them to Disney Marketplace.

A short time later, the bus arrived and they got off, following other people towards what looked to be an entrance. Elizabeth noticed a stand that had maps of the marketplace and she went to pick one up. "Hopefully this will help us figure out where the restaurant and some of the stores I want to go to are." She told Jack.

"What stores are those?"

"There is a Christmas shop I want to check out. I would love to bring back some ornaments for our tree from Disney. There is a shop named World of Disney and it has the largest inventory of Disney items in the world. I also saw there is a shop where we can make customized shirts. I thought it would be fun to make something that we can remember our honeymoon with."

Jack's face lit up when she mentioned the shirts. "That sounds fabulous. I would love to do that."

Elizabeth pulled Jack over to the side and out of the way of other people. "Let me check the map and see where the stores are." She opened the map and they looked it over. "Look! The Christmas and T-Shirt stores are near each. That's perfect."

"Yes. It looks like they are at one of the Marketplace. If we start there we can make our way back this way. Do you see where the restaurant is?" Jack asked.

"Hmm, let me take another look." She spent a couple of minutes looking at the map. "Ah, here it is. It's between where we are now and the shops we want to go to."

"Great! Let's get going!"

As they made their over to the shops they wanted to check out, Jack spotted The Lego Store. Outside they had made Disney characters out of the Legos. "Wow, Elizabeth, look at this." He grabbed her hand and rushed over to the store. Elizabeth laughed, thinking the look on his face reminded her of a child on Christmas morning. Jack pulled out his cell phone and started taking pictures.

While Jack was taking pictures, Elizabeth looked around and spotted something in the water. She wandered over and noticed it was a sea monster done in Legos. "Jack! Come over here!"

He turned at the sound of his name and made his way over to his beautiful wife. When he spotted the sea monster, his eyes when wide. "Wow! Isn't that cool?" He took a few photos. "Sweetheart, let me take a few pics of you in front of the sea monster."

"Ok!" She struck a pose while Jack snapped a few more pictures. When he finished he walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for indulging in me. I loved playing with Legos as a child."

"Really? I couldn't tell." She said sarcastically, then laughed and pulled his face down towards hers for a kiss. "It's ok, Jack. You've indulged me on some of my shopping sprees before. It's only fair that I indulge you for a change."

"Thank you, Sweetheart. Let's move on." She nodded and they continued on. "Hey look! There is one of the stores you wanted to go to." He pointed in the direction of World of Disney.

Elizabeth looked to where he was pointing and grinned. "So it is. We should stop by later."

"Ok."

A few minutes later, Elizabeth spotted the Christmas shop. "I think the place where we make the shirts is on the other side. Let's go find it first." They continued on, found the store and went inside. As they were looking around, a clerk, or rather a cast member as the employees are called in Disney World, approached them.

"Welcome! Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, we are looking to make some shirts to bring home to remember our trip." Jack replied. "We just got married yesterday and this is our first trip for both of us to Disney."

"Congratulation on your marriage!" Michelle, the cast member said. "You could actually make shirts for either your new marriage or your first time visit. Do you have favorite characters?"

"I love anything Beauty and The Beast. I was thinking of maybe making a shirt with Belle on it." Elizabeth said.

"Belle? Doesn't that name mean beauty?" Jack asked.

"It does, yes."

"Then a Belle shirt suits you. You are the most beautiful woman in the world." Jack kissed her cheek.

Elizabeth blushed. "Thank you, Jack, but I am not sure I want to do Beauty and the Beast shirts for our honeymoon. You are most definitely not a beast."

"I'm glad you think so." Jack said as he laughed. He then looked pensive for a moment. "I have an idea! What do you think about making two shirts each? We could make one set with a wedding theme and one with our favorite character. I would love to have a Tigger shirt."

Elizabeth's face lit up. "I like that idea."

"That's a great idea." Michelle agreed. "Most of our honeymooners like to get Mickey and Minnie shirts. There are several pictures you can pick."

Jack and Elizabeth agreed. A short time later that had chosen their designs and Michelle walked them over to the cash registers. "The shirts should be ready in a couple of hours. You can come back for them, have the shirts sent to your hotel if you are staying on Disney property or we can ship them home for you. We are offering free shipping for the remainder of the month."

"I want to send them back to our hotel. That way we can wear them while we are here." Elizabeth looked up at Jack to see what he was thinking.

"I agree. I know I want to wear my shirts." Jack replied. "Is the free shipping good throughout Disney?" He asked Michelle.

"Yes it is." She pulled out an order receipt. "If one of you could fill this out, we can get your purchase over to your hotel. It should get there Tuesday afternoon."

A few minutes later, they were making their way over to the Christmas store. "Jack, what do you think about shipping our purchases from here home? We don't need to have the sent to our room."

"I was just going to suggest that." He pulled her closer to him and gave her a kiss. "I love you so much, Sweetheart. I am having so much fun with you and our honeymoon has just started."

"I love you too, Honey. I am having a great time too." She squeezed his hand as they walked into the Christmas store. Both were amazed at what they saw. There were so many decorations and collectables Elizabeth was a having a hard time deciding. She felt herself getting a little dizzy. She glanced at her watch and noticed it was time to start over to the restaurant. "Jack?"

"What is it, Sweetheart?"

"I can't decide what I want to buy. There is so much to choose from and I am getting tired. I am feeling a bit dizzy looking at all this. It's about time to head to the restaurant anyway. What do you say we come back here on another day, go eat dinner and head back to the hotel?" She winked at him, letting him know that even though she was tired, she was looking forward to a night of love.

"That sounds absolutely fabulous, Sweetheart." He winked back.

As they were walking out, something caught Elizabeth's eye. She walked towards a display of stuffed animals and picked up a Mickey and Minnie dressed in Victorian clothing. "Oh, Jack! Look at these! I love them!" She started to put them back on the display, thinking she was too old to buy stuffed animals for herself but Jack stopped her.

"Elizabeth, you should buy them if you want. I think they would look good as part of our decorations for Christmas this year."

Elizabeth's smile lit up the whole store. "That's it!"

"What is?"

"I want to do a Disney Victorian theme for our tree! That is, if you like the idea."

"I do, actually." He took Mickey and Minnie out of her hands and walked over the cash register. He returned with a bag. "I thought you might want to bring them back to our room."

"Thank you, Jack. I love you!" She stood on her toes and gave him a kiss. She tried to take the bag from him but he pulled it away.

"I love you, too and I am going to carry the bag." He put his arm around her shoulder and they walked out of the store and made their way to the restaurant.

Three hours later, they returned to their hotel. Their luggage had arrived while they were gone but neither one wanted to unpack. They both just wanted to relax and see what they night would be bring for them. Once they had put their things down, Jack lifted Elizabeth up in his arms and carried her to bed. They laid on the bed for a few minutes, caressing each other and stealing an occasional kiss. Suddenly Elizabeth stood up and grabbed Jack's hand.

"Let's go try out that tub." She said with a twinkle in her eyes. "We can relax in a warm bath and see where things go from there."

"Great idea, Sweetheart! I will go start the water."

About ten minutes later, Jack, who had already gotten in the tub held out his hand to help his wife in. She leaned back against his chest and let out a sigh. "Oh this feel so good." She started massaging his legs while Jack worked his magic on her shoulders. They let out simultaneous moans of pleasure. They continued what they were doing for several minutes before Elizabeth turned in the tub and began giving Jack passionate kisses. He returned the kisses with equal passion and ran his hands down her body, caressing and massaging her in places that drove her wild, until he was the one who couldn't take it anymore. "Elizabeth, let's take this to the bedroom." His voice was rough with desire, his body craving hers.

"Yes." Her voice sounding similar to his. He got out of the tub and grabbed a couple of towels. He helped Elizabeth out and began drying her off. She took a towel to do the same for him. They worked quickly and soon Jack felt they were dry enough. He swept her into his arms again and carried her to bed, where they became one in body and soul.

 _My 20_ _th_ _wedding anniversary is next week and I have been remembering our honeymoon, which we spend in Disney World. So much has changed since then. We love visiting "The World". The stores I mentioned in this chapter are favorites of mine._


	18. The Honeymoon Part 2

Elizabeth was up first the next morning. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was 9:00. For some reason, Jack had let go of her during the night but was still sleeping peacefully. She decided to get up and unpack, leaving him to rest a while longer. She figured he didn't sleep well the night before the wedding because he missed her and he mentioned being nervous. She slipped on a blue silk robe and went to the living room where they had left the bags the night before. When she finished unpacking, Jack was still asleep, so she decided to go take a shower, then run down to the bakery and pick up some breakfast. If he was still asleep after that, she would wake him up.

She had only been in the shower a couple of minutes when she heard the door open and Jack joined her. He slipped his arms around her and began kissing her neck and massaging her body. She let out a moan. "Good morning, Sleepyhead!" She said breathlessly. She turned in the shower to face him and started kissing him passionately as the water ran down their bodies. When they parted, she picked up a bottle of the complimentary shower gel and poured some into her hands. She rubbed her hands together and then began to clean and massage his body. He moaned as she kneaded his muscles, enjoying the feeling of her hands on his body.

A few minutes later, Jack opened his eyes and grabbed the shower gel and returned the favor, running his hands over her body. When he was finished, he picked up the complimentary shampoo. "Let me wash your hair, Sweetheart." He whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He poured some into his hands and lathered up her hair. She let out some satisfied moans. She never thought the simple act of washing her hair would feel so sensual. She desperately wanted to make love to him right there in the shower but knew he should finish what he was doing first. After she rinsed out her hair, she pulled Jack into her arms and kissed him with a fire she had never felt before. He felt the fire too and he tried to reach the faucet to turn the shower off. He kept missing it. He finally turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry her off while she did the same for him. He then picked her up and carried her back to bed, where they increased the heat that they were feeling for each other.

A short time later, they laid in each other's arms, breathless but very happy. "Wow, Jack! That was amazing!" She whispered as she leaned on one elbow and kissed his cheek.

Jack smiled and blushed at the same time, not used to that kind of compliment. "It was. I love you so much, Sweetheart."

"I love you too, Honey." She settled back down in his arms. They stayed that way for several minutes.

"Elizabeth, do we have anything planned for today? Any fast passes?"

"No we don't. I purposely left this day open for us. I thought we might want to stay in and relax after our busy weekend. We could still go to the parks later if we want. The dinner reservation I made is at the Yacht Club resort and we can walk there from here."

"Thank you for making this a quiet day. It's just what we need." He pulled her closer to him. "What time is our reservation?"

"Six. We can always to check out Epcot after if we feel like it. Maybe just browse World Showcase."

"That sounds nice. Just taking a stroll around the different countries. Maybe we can just go to the pool today."

"I would like that." She replied just as her stomach rumbled. They both laughed.

"I guess we should go get some breakfast." Jack said as he checked the clock. It was almost 11. "If there are any places we can still get some breakfast."

"There is a bakery downstairs on the boardwalk. If you hadn't woken up after I took my shower I was going to head down there and get something for us. We can just go together; there are tables set up on the boardwalk. We can eat and just take in the scenery."

"Sounds good to me." Jack replied as he gave her one more kiss, then got out of bed. A short time later, they were dressed and heading down to the bakery, hand in hand.

After finishing breakfast, they walked around a bit. They took the path to EPCOT, then turned around to head back to the hotel and continued on in the other direction. They checked out the other hotels that were within walking distance. They were amazed at the differences each hotel had. They talked about coming back in the future after they had kids and wondered which hotel they would like to stay in.

After sitting outside on the boardwalk for a while, they decided to head to their room and change for the pool. Elizabeth grabbed her swim suit and went into the bathroom to change and start putting on sunscreen. She didn't want to risk a bad burn with her fair skin. She slipped on her blue striped bikini, put her hair up in a bun and began applying the sunscreen. She was finishing putting some on her leg, which she had propped up on the edge of the whirl pool, when Jack walked in.

"Elizabeth, do you have…" His voice trailed off as he caught a glimpse of his wife in her bikini. Elizabeth giggled at the expression on his face.

"Do I have what, Jack?"

Jack shook his head, trying to remember why he came into the bathroom. All he could think about was how hot she looked in the bikini. All he could think about was how he wanted to strip the bikini off her body and make love to her. He closed the space between them and kissed her like she had never been kissed before. She put her arms around his neck and began massaging the muscles on his back. A low moan escaped from deep in his throat. Out of breath, they parted but just as quickly, their lips touched again. Without breaking the kiss, Jack picked her up and carried her to their bed. He set her feet down on the floor and began untying her bikini top while she reached for the waist band of his trunks. Once her top was thrown on the floor, he slipped her bottoms off and pulled her onto the bed. They made love for what seemed like hours until they were lying in each other's arms, exhausted but happy at the same time. They both fell asleep, still holding each other.

Jack woke up first from their nap. He held her and watched as she slept. After a few minutes, she started to stir in his arms. He kissed her cheek, hoping that would wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him over her shoulder. She smiled at him. "Hello, Husband." She said as she rolled over in his arms and gave him a kiss.

"Hello, Wife." He returned the kiss. "What time is our dinner reservation again?"

"Six. We have to check in at the restaurant fifteen minutes before the reservation time. What time is it now?"

"Four. Guess we won't make it to the pool today."

"I guess not, but we could go take a bath together."

"I would like that but I know for me, it would be too much temptation. I am already tempted now to make love to you but we do need to get ready for dinner."

"You're right, Jack. It would be tempting. We have plenty of time for love making later." She kissed him again, showing him how much she was interested in making love to him later. "How about we take separate showers, changing in the bathroom?"

"That sounds like a good plan. After we are dressed, maybe we can take a leisurely stroll over to the hotel."

"I would love that."

"Why don't you shower first?"

"Ok." She grabbed her robe and slipped it on, then went to the bathroom. About fifteen minutes later, she returned to the bedroom, back in her robe. "Your turn, Handsome! I am going to head to the other bathroom to get dressed." She kissed him and watched as he went into the bathroom. She went to the closet and pulled out a floral print sundress. She grabbed her makeup bag and hairbrush, which she had grabbed on her way out of the bathroom. She walked over to the second bathroom and brushed out her hair, then picked up the hair dryer. When her hair was dry she started to apply her makeup then went to get dressed. Once she was dressed she returned to the master bedroom to put on her jewelry. She decided to wear the opal jewelry Jack had given her for Christmas. Once the necklace was on, she looked at herself in the mirror, liking the colors that were reflecting off the opals. She turned around when she heard the bathroom door open and saw Jack walking out, dressed in shorts and a polo shirt.

Jack's heart skipped a beat when he saw Elizabeth. "Sweetheart, you look so beautiful. I love that dress on you." He walked over to her and took her in his arms, giving her a sweet kiss.

"Thank you, Honey. You look great too."

Jack held out his hand for her and she accepted it. "Let's go take that walk over to the restaurant." Jack opened the door and they left their room.

The happy couple spent the rest of their honeymoon enjoying the parks, the pool and most importantly each other. There was so much love felt between them that if it were possible, their villa would have burst open. The trip went way too fast for both of them and before they knew it, they were packing to go home. While they were disappointed to be leaving, they knew they had the rest of their lives to make more memories, just like the ones they made during their honeymoon.

 _ **Sorry this is a shorter chapter. I couldn't get the juices flowing for part two of their honeymoon as I was thinking more about their future as a married couple. There will be a time jump with the next chapter but I think you will enjoy it.**_


	19. Anniversary Surprises

Jack was once again a man on a mission. It was early October and their six month anniversary was coming. He wasn't sure anyone actually celebrated a six month anniversary but he wanted to. Since meeting Elizabeth a year ago, which was another reason to celebrate, he had been the happiest he had ever been in his life. He wanted to take the joy he was feeling and plan a wonderful anniversary for her.

He had wanted to go away for the weekend but it was autumn in New England and there were no places available to go to. He decided to go talk to Grace to see if she had any connections that would help him with his plans. He was now walking into the Back Bay hotel, where he was recognized by some of the employees. Being married to the owner's daughter had taken some getting used to but he was handling it just fine now. He was quickly ushered into the office and he waited while Grace's secretary notified her that he was here.

Grace came out of her office to greet him. "Good morning, Jack. It's nice to see you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek then motioned for him to come into her office. "You said on the phone you needed help with something. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I would like to plan a weekend get-a-way for Elizabeth. The one year anniversary of our first date is coming up as is the six month anniversary of getting married. Obviously we can't go very far because we only have three days off but unfortunately I thought of this too late and I haven't been able to find anyplace that would work. I was hoping maybe you had some ideas. I realize my error in waiting so long, so if you don't have any ideas I won't get mad or anything. Before I plan to just do something romantic at home I wanted to give the weekend away idea one more shot."

Grace smiled. "Jack that is a lovely idea. I think I may be able to help you with that."

"You can? That would be wonderful."

"How does Niagara Falls sound to you?"

"That would be nice but it is kind of far. I was hoping for someplace in New England that we could drive to."

"Yes, but I have an idea about transportation. I will explain that in a minute. We have a hotel there. In fact, it was the first hotel we opened in Canada. We have our own suite in the hotel that does not get used by hotel guests. Since you are family, I can contact the hotel manager and let them know you and Elizabeth are coming. As for traveling there, I can also arrange for you to use the company jet. Depending on your work schedules you may be able to leave Friday night."

Jack was getting excited about Grace's idea. "We both have the day shift on Friday. So leaving that night sounds great to me."

"Wonderful! With the company jet at your disposal, you can returned whenever you like on Monday."

"Yes. That would be fabulous."

Grace picked up her phone. "Let me give the hotel manager a call and get the ball rolling." About thirty minutes later, after talking to the hotel and the pilot, everything was set. Grace even talked to the pastry chef about making a special cake for them.

"Thank you so much, Grace. I really appreciate your help."

"I was glad to help. Now are you going to tell Elizabeth in advance so she can pack or are you going to make it a surprise?"

"I would love to be able to just take her to the airport, board the plane and then tell her but I think that would upset her. I will tell her Thursday. That will be enough of a surprise."

"Yes it will." Grace stood and walked with Jack as he left her office.

Jack hurried out of the hotel and headed to work. As he rode the subway, he thought about his plans and how he would tell Elizabeth. Another reason he wanted to take a little holiday with her was because he had noticed she was feeling tired. She had been working long shifts and she would often come home after he was asleep. He also noticed she was very pale and she was having occasional dizzy spells. He figured it was all because she was tired and hoped a weekend away would be all she needed to feel better.

Elizabeth walked home from the subway station Thursday night exhausted and sick to her stomach. She had been feeling this way on and off for the last week or so but it was happening more often now. She had a feeling she knew what it was and had gotten it confirmed today. Now she had to tell Jack. She was certain he would be happy about it. They hadn't seen each other much this week because of work but they were both looking forward to the long weekend. She was pretty sure Jack was planning a surprise for her. Now she would have one for him.

She slowly climbed the steps up to their apartment and unlocked the door. "Jack, are you home?" She called out. Receiving no response, she put down her things and walked to the bedroom. She looked at the time and realized Jack wouldn't be home for a while. She decided to change into a pair of leggings and a t-shirt and rest in bed for a while. She was too tired to think about dinner, not to mention she wasn't that hungry anyway. She crawled between the blankets and rested her head on her pillow, wishing Jack was home so he could hold her. She quickly fell asleep.

Jack came home about an hour later, anxious to tell Elizabeth about his plans. He saw her purse on the table where she normally left it; he figured she was in the kitchen making dinner so he went to find her. He was surprised to find the kitchen empty and nothing cooking on the stove. It worried him, knowing how tired she had been lately and he thought he heard her throwing up the day before. He walked out of the kitchen and went immediately to the bedroom, where he found her fast asleep in their bed. He could tell she had put on her night clothes so he quickly got changed and joined her in bed, putting his arms around her.

Elizabeth woke up when she felt Jack's arms around her. She turned in his embrace so that she was facing him and gave him a tired smile. "Hi, Jack."

"Hi, Sweetheart. Are you ok? You don't usually come home and take a nap."

"I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine."

"Well, maybe this will perk you up a bit. I have a surprise for you."

"What is it, Honey?"

"I made plans this weekend for our six month anniversary."

Elizabeth sat up in bed and turned on the light. Jack had a big smile on his face. "You did? I would love to get away with you. Where are we going?"

"I should start this by saying I didn't come up with the idea until last week and by then I couldn't find any place close enough by we could go. So I talked to your mother. She came up with the perfect place. How does Niagara Falls sound to you?"

"Really? We are going there? That sounds wonderful." She leaned over to kiss him. "Thank you so much for thinking of this. I love you." She leaned over to kiss him.

When they parted, Jack looked into her beautiful eyes. They were sparkling with excitement but he also noticed she looked pale. "Your mother also offered us the use of the company plane so we can come back when we want on Monday. She is going to have it stocked with your favorite champagne and a nice dinner so we can start our weekend off right." He watched her face to see her reaction and was surprised when he saw her biting her lip and looking pensive. He had learned that this was the look she got on her face when something was troubling her. It began to feel like he said something wrong and she was trying to figure out a way to tell him without hurting his feelings. "What's wrong, Elizabeth? You know you can tell me anything."

Elizabeth did have something to tell him. She had planned to tell him this weekend but perhaps it was better to tell him right now. "Jack, I love the idea of a special dinner on the plane but I won't be able to drink the champagne. In fact, I won't be able to drink alcohol at all for the next nine months." It would be longer than that but Elizabeth only said nine months as a hint.

"Why wouldn't you be able to drink…." Jack forgot what he was about to say as what Elizabeth just said began to sink in. He looked at her face, where he saw a huge smile as well as tears in her eyes. He brought his gaze downward towards her stomach and saw that she had rested her hand there. "You're pregnant?" He whispered as he put his hand on top of hers. He moved his gaze back up to her face.

She nodded. "Congratulations, Daddy!"

Jack pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her. When they parted he had tears running down his cheeks. He took a moment to compose himself. "Sweetheart, what a wonderful anniversary present! A baby! How far along are you and how long have you known?"

"I'm about six weeks along. I have suspected for about a week or two but I wanted to wait until I had more symptoms. I had the test done at work today. I hope you aren't mad that I didn't tell you. I wanted to wait until I was sure."

"No, I am not mad. Sure I would have liked to have known your suspicions, but I understand why you waited." He kissed her again. "I have been a worried about you; I noticed you have been more tired recently and I thought I heard you getting sick yesterday. It was morning sickness."

"Yes it was. The exhaustion is also part of being newly pregnant. I just have to listen to my body and rest whenever possible. Which of course isn't always possible when I am at work. That's why I went right to bed when I came home."

"I'm glad you explained that to me. I would have been extra worried about you. I want you to promise me that if there is anything I can do for you, you let me know."

"I will, I promise." She kissed him then slid back down in bed. Jack followed suit and put his arms around her again, this time resting a hand on her abdomen. They cuddled together for close to an hour, talking about their weekend plans and about the baby, until Elizabeth's stomach rumbled. They both laughed. "I guess I should have some dinner." Elizabeth chuckled.

"What would you like? I want you to relax tonight so would you like me to make you something or should we order something to be delivered?"

"I am actually craving one of your grilled cheese." She turned over in bed to face him.

Jack laughed. "I would be very happy to satisfy that craving for you. How about I make us the sandwiches and we have a picnic in bed? We can watch some TV and cuddle afterwards."

Elizabeth let out a happy sigh. "That sounds wonderful. While you are making dinner I am going to start putting a bag together for the weekend. Do you need to pack?"

"I packed this morning after you left for work. I was hoping you would want to maybe start our weekend a bit early." He winked at her.

"As long as you don't mind if we just hold each other. I am still a bit tired. I may end up falling asleep in your arms."

Jack leaned over to kiss her. "That is quite all right with me. Like I said, I want you to relax. You need your rest now more than ever." He stroked her cheek and then left the room to go make dinner.

Elizabeth got out of bed and went to the closet to grab a bag. Usually she would over pack but she was determined to not do that this time. She only needed 3 outfits and maybe a dress if they had a special dinner out. She finished packing in no time and was lifting her bag off the bed just as Jack walked in. He rushed over to her and grabbed the bag.

"Let me take that for you. You shouldn't be lifting anything heavy." He said, thinking that she had over packed as usual.

Elizabeth stood back and let him lift the bag, waiting for his reaction. She giggled at his expression after he picked up the bag and realized it was lighter than he expected. "I decided for the first time in my life not to over pack." She told him. "Did you make any plans for a special dinner out this weekend?"

"No I didn't. I thought we could decide on something after we get there. Why do you ask?"

"I packed a dress just in case we go to a fancy restaurant."

"Great! I packed dress pants and a shirt for the same reason." He came over to kiss her again. "What would you like to drink?"

"Ice tea would be great."

"You got it. Be back in a few." Jack left the room, taking her bag with him.

Elizabeth settled back into bed and leaned up against the head board. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV. Glancing at the time, she realized it was almost time for the Patriots game. She set the TV to that channel, then picked up her cell phone to check messages. A few minutes later, Jack entered the room with their dinner.

Jack glanced at the TV as he walked in. "I knew you would have the game on." He said with a grin.

Elizabeth giggled. "What else would I have the TV turned to when the Pats are on?"

Jack set the tray he was carrying down in the middle of the bed, then crawled in next to Elizabeth. They ate their dinner in silence, then snuggled together after they were finished. Just as she thought, Elizabeth fell asleep in his arms earlier than she normally would, especially with a game on. Jack muted the TV so as not to disturb her sleep and watched the game while listening to her even breathing, occasionally giving her gentle kisses on her head. While he missed being able to discuss the game with her, he knew she needed her rest now that she was pregnant. Just thinking about the baby brought a smile to his face. He felt so blessed.

Jack had an earlier shift on Friday than Elizabeth. They agreed he would meet her at the hospital before heading to the airport. Grace was sending a car to pick up Jack at work, then go get Elizabeth. As the car was making its' way over to the hospital, Jack's heart began to pound; he was thinking about the weekend ahead and feeling excited. When the car came to a stop, he quickly got out and heading for the ER doors. He walked inside and looked around for Elizabeth. She wasn't at the nurse's desk but Drew, the desk clerk was.

"Hey, Drew. Do you know where my wife is?"

"Hi, Jack. We had a trauma come in a little while ago. Car accident victims. The accident was pretty bad. Hopefully she will be out soon." He told Jack just as the doors to one of the trauma rooms opened and the staff started walking out. They were talking about the death of the patient that they had just been working on.

Jack looked over and saw Elizabeth as she stepped into the hall and took off the trauma robe she was wearing. It was covered in blood and he felt woozy for a moment. Elizabeth looked over towards him and motioned with her hand that she would be with him shortly, then went towards the employee lounge to change. A few minutes later, she emerged, having put on jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. She had her bag with her.

Jack walked over to meet her. He took the bag from her and leaned in for a quick kiss. He noticed she looked very tired and a little sad. "Long day?" He asked as they left the hospital.

"Yes. We lost a lot of patients today. Death is part of the job but it's always hard to deal with, especially when so many die in one day." Jack opened the door and helped Elizabeth in, then sat down beside her and put his arm around her.

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"You are already doing it. Taking me away for the weekend will cheer me up." She gave him a tired smile. "Do you know what we are having for dinner tonight? I'm starving."

"Roast chicken with red bliss mashed potatoes and green beans. And those yummy dinner rolls that they serve in the hotel restaurants."

Elizabeth's mouth began to water. "Yummy. I can't wait."

A few hours later they arrived at the Hamilton Hotel Niagara Falls. They were warmly welcomed at the door as they walked in. Several of the employees had worked in Boston area hotels and knew what Elizabeth looked like. They were handed the key to the penthouse apartment for the Thatcher family. The hotel manager walked them to the elevator and mentioned to them that they had put a tray of decaf coffee and some desserts in their room. They also stocked the refrigerator with milk, juice and some other staples for their stay.

"Wow! I can't believe what they did for us." Jack said as they rode the elevator to the top floor.

"It's all my mother's doing, I'm sure but I'm not complaining. I am in the mood for something sweet so having a dessert tray all ready for us is wonderful. Although I think I am going to pass on the coffee and have a glass of milk instead. I need the dairy."

"Milk sounds good to me too. Although I feel bad that they made the coffee."

"We could stick in in the fridge and make ice coffee for tomorrow."

"That's a great idea." Jack replied as the elevator doors opened. They walked down the hall until they got to the penthouse. Jack took the key from Elizabeth and opened the door. He dropped their bags and picked her up in his arms, carrying her over the threshold just like he did on their wedding night. Elizabeth giggled and gave him a kiss on the check.

"I love you, Jack." Elizabeth said as he put her down. "Thank you again for planning this wonderful weekend."

Jack wrapped his arms around her. "I love you too, Sweetheart. So much." He bent down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "Let me go get our bags and then we can settle in for the night."

"Sounds good." Elizabeth walked over to the table where a covered tray had been placed. She lifted the lid to reveal what desserts the hotel had given them. "Oh, my goodness. Jack? Take a look at this."

Jack walked over to her and peered over her shoulder at the tray. "Wow! Jackpot of sweets!" On the tray were cupcakes, iced cookies, brownies with chocolate frosting, and mini chocolate chip cheesecake. "There is enough here to last us a week!"

"I know, right? The cheesecake is one of my favorites but the brownies and cupcakes look good too." Elizabeth walked over to the kitchen and opened a cupboard, where she pulled out a couple of plates. Next she got a knife, then walked back to the table. "How about we split some of the desserts tonight?"

"That's a great idea! We can have another picnic in bed while we relax." Jack kissed her again. "Let's get changed first and then come back for dessert."

"Sounds like a plan."

A short time later, they were settled in bed with their snack and two glasses of milk while they watched a movie. About a half hour later, Elizabeth was once again fell asleep in Jack's arms. He found himself yawning and his eyelids drooping, so he turned off the TV and went to sleep with his arms around her waist, his hand on her tummy.

Elizabeth woke up first the next morning, feeling a little nauseous. She carefully removed Jack's arm from around her and slowly sat up in bed. She reached for the saltine crackers she had brought with her and ate a few. Jack must have felt her movement because he opened his eyes and noticed her eating the crackers.

"Are you feeling ok, Sweetheart?" She looked a little pale.

"Just a little nauseous. I packed some crackers just for this reason."

"Are they helping? Is there something else I can get you?"

"Actually, there is. I would love a cup of tea. I also packed some mint tea. I left the tea on the counter. Mint helps with nausea too."

Jack leaned over and kissed her on the check. "One cup of tea coming right up." He jumped out of bed and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returned. "Sweetheart, I found a loaf of bread. Would you like some toast? I have a friend at work whose wife just had a baby and he mentioned to me that she ate a lot of toast in the early months to help with the morning sickness."

"Yes, toast would be good. Thank you." She smiled at him. She had such a kind and thoughtful husband. She felt blessed to have him in her life and they would soon be welcoming a beautiful baby created from their love.

Jack and Elizabeth spent a wonderful weekend together. They toured Niagara Falls and enjoyed the fall colors, including taking a drive to some of the surrounding areas. They took a lot of pictures. They had dinner in a French restaurant on their six month anniversary. During dinner they discussed how they wanted to tell the family about the family. They decided to host a dinner at their apartment the following Sunday. Jack called his mother and asked her to come down too. It was tough for Elizabeth to keep the news from Rosemary because she suspected that Elizabeth was pregnant. Elizabeth refused to confirm it until her family knew. Grace was so happy for them that she cried, as was Charlotte. Julie jumped up and down with excitement. She couldn't wait for her niece or nephew to be born. The only thing that would have made the dinner perfect was William being there, happy for his daughter and son-in-law, but Elizabeth had gotten used to the fact that he was no longer going to be in her life. She refused to let his obnoxious behavior ruin this moment for her and Jack.


	20. Holiday Happiness

It was the day before Thanksgiving. For the first time in her entire career at Boston City, Elizabeth had the entire weekend off. They had hired two more nurses recently and both of them were single with families out of state. They volunteered to work the holiday. The other nurses, spirited on by Rosemary, planned to let Elizabeth have the weekend off. They were all grateful for all the times she worked so they could be home with their families. Now they wanted to pay it forward; they all knew what would be coming up for Elizabeth and Jack and decided that the happy couple and soon to be parents deserved to have some holiday alone time. They were also working with Rosemary to give Elizabeth time off at Christmas.

Jack and Elizabeth were spending Thanksgiving by themselves again this year. Last year, Jack's aunt lost her husband; this year it was Elizabeth's Aunt Hope who lost her husband to cancer. Aunt Hope was Grace's younger sister. Grace had flown out to San Francisco, where Hope lived, to be with her during her husband's last days. Grace was going to stay at least through Thanksgiving. She was hoping to convince her sister to move to Boston with her. Grace had recently been looking to find a permanent place to live as she was getting tired of living in the hotel. She thought it would be a good idea for Hope to come back with her as Hope did not have any family in California. Grace did not want Hope to be alone.

Elizabeth was looking forward to her time off from the hospital and being able to spend the weekend with Jack, as he had managed to get it off too. They talked about decorating the apartment for Christmas. They were also planning on cooking Thanksgiving dinner together like they had the year before, something Elizabeth was excited about doing. Her morning sickness was finally going away and she was able to eat normally again.

Elizabeth arrived home first that Wednesday night. It had been a long day at the hospital. Holidays always brought the worst out in people. Elizabeth felt tired and dirty but very happy. She decided to go soak in a warm tub and change into her pajamas after. Once Jack got home she was going to see if he wanted to order Chinese for dinner. She was having a craving for Chinese food. She walked into the bathroom to start the water then returned to the bedroom to get undressed. She had just pulled her scrubs off when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller id and noticed it was Jack, although she wasn't surprised he would be calling. "Hi, Handsome!"

"Hi, Sweetheart. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I am tired though. It was a long day."

"It was for me too. I was thinking maybe we could order Chinese food for dinner tonight and we can cuddle while we watch TV later."

"You read my mind, Jack. I have a craving for Chinese food and was going to ask you if we could order in tonight."

Jack laughed. "I would be very happy to satisfy that craving for you. I was thinking I could place the order before I leave work and pick it up on my way home."

"Sounds perfect." She agreed as she walked into the bathroom to check the water. She turned it off before it filled too high.

"I will see you when I get home. I love you." Jack whispered into the phone.

"I love you too. See you soon." She placed the phone on the sink and finished removing her clothes. She climbed into the tub and let out a sigh. The warm water felt so good and it was helping to relieve some sore muscles. She leaned her head against the back of the tub and began thinking about how happy she was with her life. She was content in her marriage and so in love with Jack. She placed her hand on her small baby bump that she had noticed just that morning. She couldn't wait to put Jack's hand on the bump. He would be so excited, just like she was. They were so blessed in their lives.

Elizabeth got out about twenty minutes later after the water had cooled off. She dried off quickly then went to the bedroom to put on a pair of leggings and one of Jack's Patriot's T-shirts. Her shirts were starting to get tight. She would have to start shopping for maternity clothes. Once she was dressed, she went to the kitchen to get something to drink then settled on their sofa with her lap top. She was going to browse maternity clothes while she waited for Jack to return home. She knew she should be looking at regular stores for clothes but she decided to check out the pro shops for the Patriots and Bruins. She knew actress Alyssa Milano had created a line of NFL clothes especially for women. She wondered if there were maternity clothes included. She was pleasantly surprised to see that there were maternity shirts available and that she also had NHL maternity clothing. Now the tough part; she had to decide which shirts she wanted.

Jack returned home about twenty minutes later, finding his beautiful wife on the sofa with her computer resting on her lap. His heart skipped a bit, like it always did when he saw her. He knew his heart would do that until the day he died. She was so beautiful, even more so now that she was pregnant. She really did have that glow they say pregnant women have. "Hello, Sweetheart." He called to her as he set the food down on the floor. He took off his coat and draped it on a nearby chair then quickly walked over to her.

"Hi, Honey. I'm so glad you're home." She lifted her head to meet his lips in a tender kiss.

"Me too." Jack glanced down at the computer and saw her looking at Bruin's shirts. "Doing some shopping?"

"Yes. My Patriots and Bruins shirts are starting to get tight. I am wearing one of yours tonight but I want to get some that I can wear for the rest of the pregnancy. I really should be looking at everyday maternity clothes but I felt more like shopping for the sports shirts. Would you like to help me? I like so many of them I just can't decide."

"I would love too. Do you want to show me what you like now or are you hungry and want to eat first?"

"Let's eat. My tummy has been rumbling for a while now. I nibbled on some crackers but it wasn't enough." She smiled at him as she put her lap top away. Jack reached out his hand to help her stand up. He grabbed the Chinese food while she picked up her cup, then they walked together to the kitchen. Elizabeth got plates and silverware out while Jack unpacked the food.

"Why don't you have a seat, Elizabeth? Do you need your drink refilled?"

"Yes, please. Ice tea." She sat down at her place at the table and began putting food on her plate.

Jack grabbed her cup and went to the fridge for their drinks. He placed her cup in front of her, glancing at her plate as he did. He was pleased to see she had taken a lot of food. He paused to kiss her head. "It's good to see you have your appetite back. It was hard for me to see you eat such small portions even though I knew the baby was fine with what you were eating."

"It's good to have my appetite back, believe me. In my head I knew I should be eating more but my upset stomach had other ideas." Jack joined her at the table and they talked about their day and their plans for the weekend. Jack insisted on doing the dishes as he wanted Elizabeth to rest after her long day. She went to the couch to lie down and shut her eyes for a few minutes.

After he was finished, he went to join her on the couch. He thought she was sleeping since her eyes were shut. He bent down to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom but she must have sensed his movement and opened her eyes. "Jack? What are you doing?" She sat up.

"I thought you were sleeping. I was going to bring you to bed."

"No, I was just resting for a few minutes. However going to bed does sound nice. It would be easier to look at the lap top together if we were sitting side by side. And it gives you an excuse to wrap your arm around my shoulders. If that is something you want to do." She winked at him.

"Hmm, would I like to put my arm around my wife? Possibly." He winked back and then they both burst out laughing. "Let me grab the computer."

Once in the bedroom, Elizabeth pushed back the covers. She then turned to Jack. "Before we get in bed, there is something I want to show you. Sit down on the edge of the bed."

He gave her a questioning look but did as she requested. He watched her face as she pulled her shirt up a little bit. He looked down at the bare skin on her abdomen and noticed a small but distinct bump. His heart began to fill with joy as he realized what he was looking at. "A bump!" He whispered. "You have a baby bump!" He put his hand on her bump and reveled in the moment. While he had known for a while she was pregnant, it seemed more real to him now that he could see her bump. His eyes filled with tears as he stood up to kiss Elizabeth. "I am so amazed, Sweetheart." He looked down into her blue eyes and saw tears. He brought his thumb to her cheeks and wiped them away.

"I know. I was amazed myself when I noticed the bump this morning. I couldn't wait for you to come home so you could see and touch it but I also didn't want to rush the moment. If felt right to show you now instead of the minute you walked through the door."

"It was perfect, you letting me feel it now." He hugged her again before letting her go. "Let's get into bed and look at those shirts."

"Ok" Once they were setting side by side against the headboard with Jack's arm around her, she showed him the shirts she liked. With his help, she narrowed down her choices and pick two shirts from each team. Jack made mental notes to get her one more shirt each for Christmas. They relaxed in bed for the remainder of the even, falling asleep early.

The next morning, Jack got up early. He wanted to surprise Elizabeth with breakfast in bed now that she was feeling better. He was going to try her French toast recipe. It would be his first time making it himself; he had only helped her a few other times. He hoped it would come out ok because she deserved to have a little pampering. He followed her instructions to the letter; he tried the first piece he made and it tasted just like hers. He smiled to himself then went to get a tray together. He made her some mint tea, put a glass of juice on the tray, and then added a plate with her breakfast on it. A couple minutes later he was walking into the bedroom where he saw her just waking up.

She looked up when she heard him come in and smiled. "Good morning, Handsome! Is that tray for me?"

"It sure is, Sweetheart! I made French Toast for you."

"Amazing!" She said as he placed the tray in front of her.

"What is?"

"I was craving French Toast and you somehow knew."

He laughed. "I must have ESP." He looked at her and they both burst out laughing. "I will be back in a minute. I am going to grab my plate." He returned and climbed into bed with her. He turned on the TV and they watched one of the parades while they ate. The whole rest of the day was spent just the two of them, working together to make dinner and spending time with one another.

Several weeks later, Christmas was only a few days away. Elizabeth decided to use some of her vacation time and take some time off. The police department was going to have a party for underprivileged children and Elizabeth and Abigail were going to make food for the party. Jack was going to read The Christmas Story to the kids and help with the refreshments. His boss was going to play Santa, with Jack helping to pass out toys.

On the day before the party, Elizabeth was hard at work making cookies. She was making sugar cookies in holiday shapes that she would decorate with frosting, sprinkles and other decorations. She had just put a batch of cookies in the oven and was making frosting for some that were already cooled when Jack returned home from work.

"Hi, Sweetheart! How was your day?" He walked over to her and gave her a kiss.

"I am having a great day, thank you. I love baking cookies!"

He looked around the kitchen at all the cookies. "I see that. Do you need any help?"

"I would love some." She went to one of the cupboards and got out another bowl. She put half of the frosting she had made into the other bowl. "You can help me decorate these cookies."

"Ok." Jack went to the sink to wash his hands.

When he came back to the table, Elizabeth handed him the bowl she had prepared. "I am going to start with the Christmas trees. I added some green food coloring to the frosting and then I have some frosting in different colors in piping bags that I am going to use to make colorful ornaments. I think the best idea would be to have you start with putting the green frosting on the trees and then I can do the decorations."

"Sounds like a good plan." They worked together for about an hour, occasionally talking. "I'm getting hungry. Should we order something for dinner?"

"Yes we should. I'm hungry too. Want to order some pizza?"

"Sure." He went back to the sink to wash the green frosting off his hands, then called their favorite pizza place. When he placed the order, he turned to go back to see what his beautiful wife was doing. She appeared to making more frosting. He walked back over to her and gently put his arms around her waist and placed his hands on her baby belly.

Elizabeth leaned her head back against his chest and let out a soft moan. "I love being in your arms." She said quietly.

"I love having you in my arms." He whispered into her ear. "So what cookies are we frosting next?

"The snowflakes." She showed him what she had in mind and they worked together getting the cookies decorating. When they were done, Elizabeth looked around the kitchen at all the decorated cookies. "Ok, we are done. Thank you for helping me. I wouldn't be anywhere near done if I had to decorate them myself." She stood on her toes and kissed him. "Now we can relax for the rest of the night."

"Sounds good to me and I was happy to help you out."

The next day, Jack had the day off so he could help with the party. Under Elizabeth's careful eye, he boxed up some of the cookies and carried them to the car he had rented for the day. He was one of the people in charge of getting gifts for the children and Abigail's café had been one of the drop off locations for the presents. Abigail, who planned to be closed that day, was already at the church where the party was going to be. She gave Elizabeth a key to the café so she and Jack could get the gifts. After they loaded up the cookies, he and Elizabeth drove over to the café, then drove to the church. Frank met them outside and he helped Jack bring everything in while Elizabeth went to see if Abigail needed a hand.

The party went off without a hitch. They children had a blast and loved seeing Santa. Elizabeth and Jack loved watching the kids opening their gifts and they both imagined what it would like in a couple of years when their own child would be tearing the wrapping paper off. Later on, when they were back home, they both agreed to be a part of this annual tradition every year. While they were talking, there was a knock at their door.

"Who could that be?" Jack whispered to Elizabeth.

"The only person I know who comes to my door without buzzing me is my father." She looked nervous and scared. "Come with my while I answer the door."

They walked over to the door and Jack looked through the peephole. He nodded his head at Elizabeth letting her know she was right. She cocked her head, indicting he should open the door because she knew her father would not go away on his own. "Mr. Thatcher." Jack said as he opened the door.

"Jack, Elizabeth. May I come in? I have something very important to talk to you about." He looked sincere, but he also looked tired and pale.

Elizabeth stepped to the side and motioned for him to enter. "Would you like something to drink? I think we have some beer left."

William took a seat on one of the chairs. "I would like some to drink but nothing alcoholic."

"We have ice tea and lemonade."

"Ice tea would be great." Jack left the living room and got everyone some drinks, then joined Elizabeth on the couch.

William looked nervous. He wasn't sure how to tell his daughter and son-in-law what had been going on the last year. "Elizabeth, Jack, I want to deeply apologize for the way I have treated you for the past year. It was inexcusable to say the least. I know I hurt you greatly, Elizabeth as well as hurting myself by my actions. I have cried myself to sleep so many times in the last few weeks because I refused to walk you down the aisle when you got married." He had tears in his eyes again as he talked.

Elizabeth was weeping too. This was the father she knew and loved. The man who would have accepted Jack into her life. She wondered what had happened to change his mind. She would find out eventually but first she had something else to say. She looked over at Jack and his eyes were wet. He knew what she was going to do and he nodded his head in agreement. Elizabeth stood up and walked over to her father, kneeling down in front of him. "I accept your apology, Daddy. I love you."

William gazed down at his beautiful daughter and smiled through his tears. "Beth, my little Beth. Well, not so little anymore. You have no idea how happy I am that you accepted my apology." He pulled her up to a standing position and hugged her. "I have missed hearing you call me Daddy." He reached over to her face and wiped away the tears that were falling. "Beth, I have something else to say to you."

"Alright, but I have something to tell you first."

"What is it, Beth?"

"You are going to be a grandfather!" She said as she put her hands on her belly. Jack stood up and joined her, wrapping his arms around her, putting his hands on top of hers.

William wasn't sure he heard his daughter correctly. Then he looked down at her stomach and noticed the way Jack was resting his hands over hers, so protective and knew it was true. "A baby? When?" He was so surprised he couldn't speak.

"In May." His daughter told him and smiled. She could tell he was very happy.

William hugged her again, then motioned for them to sit down. "This is amazing, Beth but it also makes what I am about to say more difficult. I don't want to upset you but what I need to tell you is very important." He looked over at Jack, trying to send a message that Jack should hold his wife close. Jack nodded and put his arm around Elizabeth.

"Daddy, you're scaring me. What do you have to tell me?" She was grateful that Jack put his around her shoulders and took one of her hands in his.

William took a deep breath. "Beth, the reason I was acting the way I did was because I had a tumor that was pressing on the part of the brain that controls emotion and rational thoughts. It basically was turning me into a different person."

"Oh my God, Daddy! What did you do? What made you decide to go to the doctor?"

"Viola finally made me see that something wasn't right. I had business in London in August and while I was there I had dinner with Viola and Lionel. She told me she was pregnant. My reaction was completely different than the one I had just now. I yelled at her, telling her she shouldn't have gotten pregnant so soon after the wedding. I said some nasty things to her that I don't wish to repeat. She got very upset, rightfully so, and told me that until I could see the errors of my ways, I was not to visit her, contact her or be a part of her child's life. She then said something your mother mentioned to me too. That maybe a medical problem was causing me to act out like I was. So when I returned home, I made an appointment with my doctor for tests and that's when they found the tumor." He paused and took a sip of his drink. "I had radiation to try to shrink the tumor and I found out this morning it worked. I tried to see your mother but I was told she is out of town. So I came here next, to tell you and Jack." He had tears falling down his check.

"Thank goodness the treatment worked." Elizabeth said. "Mother is in San Francisco with Aunt Hope. Uncle Henry died three weeks ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." William said. "I will try to call your mother later."

"Daddy, let me call her first. Let me tell her you came here an apologized."

"Alright."

Elizabeth got up and went to grab the phone. A minute later, her mother answered the phone.

"Beth, is everything ok?" Grace asked.

"Yes, everything is fine but I have something to tell you. It's very important."

"What is it?"

"Daddy is here. He came to apologize for his behavior." Elizabeth heard nothing but silence on the other end. "Mom? Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry, did you say your father apologized?"

"Yes he did and he told me why he has been acting this way. He wants to talk to you about it but he wasn't sure you would want to talk to him, so I offered to call you. Would you like to talk to him?"

"Yes, Beth. Put him on."

"Daddy, here." She handed her father the phone. "We are going to the other room to let you have some privacy. Call us back when you are done." He nodded as Jack put his arm around Elizabeth and they walked to the bedroom. They shut the door behind them and Jack led her to the bed. "Wow!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"I know, Sweetheart. It's amazing."

"This is the father I know and love, not the man we have known the last year. And he is accepting of you as my husband and father of his grandchild" She snuggled into his embrace.

"I'm so happy for you and your family. I can't wait to get to know him." He pulled her closer to him. They stayed that way until her father called out for them. They joined him back in the living room, where they saw William had been crying again.

"How did it go with Mom?" Elizabeth asked.

"It went as well as could be expected. Your mother was happy I finally realized something was wrong and went to the doctor. She was worried about the tumor, like you are but I still hurt her during this last year and she is not sure about reconciling yet."

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

"It's not your fault, Baby. I made a mess of things the last year. I didn't expect her to book air fare tonight and come home. Especially with your Aunt Hope the way she is. Your mother is going to stay out there for another couple of weeks but we are going to do some more talking during that time." Elizabeth walked over to her father and gave him a big hug. "Enough of this. How about I treat you and Jack to dinner and we can celebrate your baby and my health."

Elizabeth looked at Jack and he nodded. "We would love to go to dinner with you, Mr. Thatcher." Jack smiled at his father-in-law.

"Great! And Jack? Please call me William. We are family after all."

"Thank you, William." Jack said, then looked at his wife. She had a big grin on her face but she was also crying happy tears. He was so happy for her, getting her relationship with her father back. It was a great Christmas present for all of them.


	21. Wonderful Day

December turned into January. Elizabeth and Jack spent a wonderful Christmas together. They had dinner at the Thatcher home along with Julie and her new boyfriend, who was none other than Tom Thornton. They had realized at the wedding of their older siblings that they had a lot in common and began dating. Elizabeth and Jack were surprised at first but were happy for Julie and Tom. Willian was very happy for them too. While a lot of what he did when he had the tumor was fuzzy, he remembered how he had treated his younger daughters about being nurses. He told them both he was proud of what they were doing with their lives. The sisters hugged him tightly and they all cried.

It was now the middle of January and Elizabeth had an appointment for an ultrasound to check on the growth of the baby and to find out the gender. Jack was going with her, having never missed an appointment; he would preferred waiting until the baby was born to find out the gender but Elizabeth would be able to know by reading the scan. In exchange for finding out the sex now, Elizabeth agreed to let Jack decorate the nursery by himself and let him surprise her. He had already started by painting the walls in neutral beige. They had both taken the day off of work so they could celebrate and maybe start some shopping for the nursery and fill out a baby registry.

The night before the appointment, Jack and Elizabeth were lying in bed together talking. Jack had his hand on her belly. She had felt the baby move for the first time a few weeks back but Jack had yet to experience it. It had felt like butterflies were in her stomach when she felt it. A couple of days ago she felt the first kick, right into her ribs. She had been at work when it happened. She had taken a minute to text Jack to let him. He was so excited that when he returned home that night, he immediately put his hands on her belly, not even taking off his coat or kissing her. She teased him about that one. Unfortunately she only seemed to be experiencing the kicking when she and Jack were not together.

As they were cuddling together, she finally felt a good kick and squealed. "Jack, did you feel that?"

Jack sat there in shock, with an expression of awe on his face. "Oh my goodness! That was amazing!" He moved down towards her belly and kissed it. "Hi, Baby Thornton. It's Daddy! I am so happy that I felt you move in Mommy's tummy. I can't wait until you get here but for now, stay nice and warm inside Mommy." He felt tears running down his face and when he looked at Elizabeth, she was crying too. He moved back up towards her and pulled her into his arms, where they cried happy tears together.

"Jack, what do you hope the baby is going to be? A boy or a girl?"

"What I hope is that we have a healthy baby and that you have an easy delivery. That said, I have been having this dream lately of a little girl who has her mother's eyes and dark curly hair, but if we have a boy I would be just as happy and proud."

"Jack, that is so sweet. My intuition is telling me the baby is a girl but I will also love a boy the same way."

"Have I ever told you about my paternal great-grandfather?"

"Not that I can recall. Why?"

"This is not something I have dreamed but it is something I always imagined I would do if I ever had a son. It was something I did as a boy. My great grandfather was born in Canada and he became a Mountie in Vancouver. He met an American woman there who was on vacation with her family and they fell in love. They got married and had two children, a boy, my grandfather and a girl. When Grandpa was 10, my maternal great-grandmother passed away. My great-grandfather took her death hard; my grandparents decided to move to the States, to Goffstown, NH to help out. Great-grandfather became a private investigator but he never forgot his Canadian roots and his time as a Mountie. He brought his hat and red serge with him and there are some pictures of my grandfather playing with the hat."

"That sounds so cute." Elizabeth said.

"Grandpa decided he wanted to become a police officer, thus continuing the family tradition of being in law enforcement. When he married and my father was born, he used to tell my dad stories from both Canada and New Hampshire and he showed my dad the hat and serge. There are also pictures of Dad playing with the hat. Dad then passed the tradition down to me."

"I would love to see any pictures of you playing with the hat."

"I don't have any but I will ask my mom to send some, along with the hat and serge. I have always wanted to pass the tradition down to my son or daughter. A daughter can become a cop if that's what she wants." He looked over at Elizabeth and she was crying again. "Are you ok? Does that frighten you, having our daughter become a cop?"

"No, well yes it does but I worry about you when you are on the job so I would do the same for our children if they wanted to be a cop. I am just so amazed by the story you told. The love you showed when talking about your family and our kids." She snuggled closer to him. "I love you, Jack and you are going to be a great father."

Jack buried his face in her hair, breathing in her shampoo. "I love you, too Sweetheart. I have no doubt that you will be the best mother there is." They kissed and Jack brought his hand back to her belly. He felt a kick. "We love you too, Baby."

Elizabeth yawned. She was getting tired but she didn't want this moment to end. She knew that she better listen to her body and get some rest. "I'm sorry, Jack but I am so tired."

"No need to apologize. You need your rest. We have all day tomorrow to spend together." Jack turned out the light and kissed her goodnight. Then he wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on his pillow. Elizabeth was already sleeping; he could hear her even breathing. He stayed awake for a while thinking about the baby and the appointment they had tomorrow. Even though he had initially wanted to wait until the baby was born to find out the sex, he found himself getting excited that they would find out in just a few short hours. Would the baby be a girl like in his dream or would it be a boy who he would tell the stories of his family and let him play with the Mountie hat? He fell asleep with those thoughts on his mind.

Jack paced the exam room waiting for the doctor to come in for the ultrasound. Elizabeth's OB, Dr. Susan Brady, always liked to do the scans herself for hospital employees. She was running a few minutes behind because of an emergency C-section. Jack was so anxious for her to get there that he couldn't calm down.

"For heaven's sakes, Jack! Please sit down. You are making me nervous and jumpy with your pacing. I am uncomfortable as it is." She told him, referring to the water she had to drink for the ultrasound.

Jack looked over at Elizabeth and felt a little guilty. She was growing and nurturing their baby, keeping him or her warm inside her womb and all he could do today was drive her crazy. He saw her drinking the water and knew she must be thinking how all she wanted to do was use the bathroom. He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I didn't realize I would be this anxious to find out gender."

"I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just want Sara to get here and do the scan so I can go to the bathroom." She groaned. "I can't believe I just said that. Here we are about to see our baby and all I can think about it the bathroom."

"Let me see if I can get your mind on something else." He began massaging her neck and shoulders. He smiled when she let out a satisfied moan. He saw that she had closed her eyes. He moved down to her arm and hand, working out the knots and kinks he felt. He was about to move to the other side of the exam table to massage her other arm when he heard a knock on the door and he saw it open.

"Good morning, Elizabeth and Jack. Sorry I was late."

"That's ok, Sarah. I understand about emergencies." Elizabeth replied.

"That's nice of you to say when I know you must not be too comfortable. So without further ado, I am going to start your scan." She pulled the machine over towards the exam table. "Ok, Elizabeth. Please pull up your shirt for me. Remember, the gel will be a little cold."

Elizabeth lifted her shirt up, then took Jack's hand. She squeezed it and looked up at him. He looked down and they smiled at each other. This moment was finally here. They both turned their heads towards the ultrasound and waited for Sarah to bring up the first image. They both held their breaths and then finally they saw the baby. Their baby. Jack leaned down towards Elizabeth and kissed her, tears falling down their faces.

"Oh, Jack! Look! There's our little one!"

Jack couldn't speak. He was so amazed by the image. He had gone to her first one but their child hadn't yet taken the shape of a baby. Now the baby could clearly be recognized as one. "Beautiful." He finally choked out.

Sarah smiled at the happy parents-to-be. Then she looked back at the scan and noticed the baby was being cooperative and she could clearly make out the gender. She glanced towards Elizabeth to see if she had picked up on the sex. She saw the moment Elizabeth figured it out. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Jack! It's a girl. We are having a girl!" Elizabeth said excitedly.

"What? We are?" Jack looked at the picture, then down at Elizabeth's belly. He moved so he was leaning down and kissed her belly. "Hi, Baby Girl! I'm your daddy. I love you so much." He let his hand linger and he immediately felt a kick. He looked at Elizabeth and they both laughed as joyous tears streamed down their faces.

Sarah moved the wand a few more times, getting images and checking out the progress the baby had made. She put the wand down and pressed a button on the machine to print pictures. She grabbed some tissues and wiped the gel off Elizabeth's abdomen. "Here are some pictures for you and your families." She handed them to Jack before turning back to her patient. "Elizabeth, you can go to the restroom now and when you are finished, both of you come to my office."

"Thank you, Sarah." The doctor left the room and Jack pulled his eyes away from the pictures to help Elizabeth down. She rushed to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerged feeling much better. "I'm all set, Jack. Let's go see Sarah now." She reached out to Jack so she could take his hand.

"One moment, Sweetheart." He took her hand and gently pulled her into his embrace. "I have been staring at the pictures and I can't get over how beautiful our daughter is. I think she is going to look just like you." He pulled away slight to put a trail of kisses on her face. Elizabeth giggled, then moaned softly. "I'm so glad I found out the gender. I have some ideas on what I want to do for her nursery and I want you to help too."

"You do? You want to forget our deal?"

"Yes. I have been doing a lot of thinking about it and we still have a lot of things to be surprised about when she is born. Like her hair and eye color. We should decorate the nursery together. Just as long as you let me handle anything that is heavy."

"I will, I promise." She stood on her tip toes and gave him a kiss. "Let's go talk to Sarah and then maybe we could go get some breakfast as the café. I'm starving." She grinned at him, her blue eyes sparkling.

Jack took her hand. "Sounds like a good plan and then after we can go start looking at baby stuff." They walked down the hall to Sarah office. The door was ajar but Jack knocked anyway.

"Hi there, happy parents-to-be." She said as she motioned for them to come in and sit down. "Everything is looking good with baby girl Thornton. I wanted to talk to you Elizabeth, about how things are going when you work. It won't be long before I am going to suggest you be off your feet more during the day."

"I am one step ahead of you on that, Sarah. I already had a meeting with Dr. Hammond and Ellie. I have already scaled back on what cases I take. I usually don't take any big traumas unless they desperately need my help. I am mostly taking minor cases, like sprained ankles and migraine headaches. Things that won't cause me or the baby any harm. I am also spending about half my day doing paperwork and training Rosemary to take over the nurse manager duties while I am on maternity leave. I am also only scheduling 8 hour days for myself." She glanced towards Jack and noticed he was staring at her. She had only told him she wasn't on her feet as much anymore, as it was something he had expressed concern about early on in the pregnancy.

"That's wonderful, Elizabeth. I am glad you are being proactive and have plans set in place. As long as you keep that plan in motion, I don't see any reason you can't continue nursing for the time being. We will see how things are going for you at our next appointment before we make any changes about work but of course if something changes, come see me immediately. "

"I will."

"Unless there is anything else, I will see you around the hospital and of course at your next appointment."

"Thank you, Sarah."

"Yes, thank you." Jack said as he helped Elizabeth to her feet.

They left the hospital and made their way over to the café. Jack was silent most of the way there. He just sat there, gazing at the picture of their baby girl. Every once in a while he would squeeze Elizabeth's hand or lean over to give her a kiss. Jack slipped his arm around her and leaned in for a deeper kiss. "I love you and our baby so much." He whispered. "Thank you for all that you are doing at work to make sure she stays safe."

Elizabeth looked at his face and noticed he had tears in his eyes. One slipped down his cheek and she wiped it away. "Thank you for loving me and our baby. Thank you for being kind and supportive of me when it comes to my career."

"Of course I would. Being a nurse is part of who you are, of who I fell in love with. Taking that away from you would be taking away one of the things I love most about you. How caring you are with your patients."

Elizabeth was trying hard to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. She didn't want to become an emotional basket case while they were riding the subway. She buried her head into his chest. "I love you so much, Jack." She whispered.

Jack pulled her even closer to him. "I love you, too. With all my heart until the day I leave this earth." They held each other until it was time to get off the subway. Jack helped her down, making sure she didn't trip or fall. Then he put his arm around her waist as they walked to the café. "Are you going to tell Abigail or did you want to wait until we tell our families?"

"Abigail is going to know the minute she looks at us. I know she won't say anything and she is like family to me. So yes, I am going to tell her. I spoke to Mom yesterday and she invited us to come for dinner tomorrow night. They are leaving for London next week to be with Viola when she has her baby so they wanted to see us and Julie and Tom. I asked her if we could invite your mom because I was hoping the baby would be cooperative today and we would tell them if our baby is a boy or a girl." She put a hand on her belly and felt a kick against her ribs.

"Thank you for thinking of my mother. I can't wait to see Mom's face when she finds out it's a girl. She was insisting the baby would be a son because boys tend to run in our family but don't worry. She will be just as happy we are having a girl."

Elizabeth giggled. "I'm not worried. Even if you hadn't told that, I would know Charlotte would be happy we are having a daughter. A baby is a blessing no matter then gender." She paused just outside the café and gave Jack another quick kiss. He opened the door and followed her inside. "Good morning, Abigail!" Elizabeth called over to her friend.

Abigail looked up from the counter where she had been totaling some receipts. "Hi Elizabeth and Jack. No work today?" She motioned for them to sit down at a booth and she pulled a chair over to join them. The café was nearly empty so she had a few minutes to sit and talk to them.

"No work. We just came from a doctor's appointment." Elizabeth told her, then nodded her head at Jack. He knew what she wanted and pulled out one of the ultrasound pictures he had put in his pocket.

"How are things going?" Abigail inquired.

"Everything is going fine. She is growing just as she should be." Elizabeth carefully watched her friend's face to see if she caught on.

"What? Did you say 'she'?"

"Yes, our baby is a girl!"

Abigail slid into the booth next to Elizabeth and gave her a big hug. Then she stood up and went to Jack, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so happy for you. Of course I would have been happy if they baby was a boy too."

"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "Would you like to see the ultrasound picture of her?"

"Of course I would." Jack handed her the picture. "I am amazed at what modern medicine can do. She looks so beautiful!"

Jack proudly smiled. "She's gorgeous, just like her Mama."

"That she is." Abigail agreed and handed the picture back to the grinning dad-to-be. "Breakfast is on me today. What can I get you?"

Jack and Elizabeth exchanged glances. "You don't have to do that, Abigail." Elizabeth told her.

"I know I don't but I want to. Would you like some tea, Elizabeth?"

"Yes I would. Also a glass of orange juice."

"Coffee and juice, Jack?"

"Yes, thank you." Abigail left to get their drinks while they looked at the menu. They placed their order after Abigail returned with their drinks. More customers started to come in so Abigail didn't have time to sit with them.

"Jack what ideas do you have for the nursery? I was thinking about a Winnie the Pooh theme. I love Winnie the Pooh."

Jack looked at her, surprised. "You read my mind, Sweetheart. I was thinking Winnie the Pooh as well."

Elizabeth smiled at him. "That makes things easy." Probably the easiest thing to agree on for the baby's room. We have so much to get. Not just the furniture but other things as well. Like learning toys and clothes for those first few months. At least a lot of those things can go on the baby registry."

"That's true. Did you still want to start that today? It is your day off and I don't want you to exhaust yourself."

Elizabeth took Jack's hand in hers and smiled at him. She loved how he was always looking out for her, making sure she wasn't over doing things. "Jack, I promise to tell you when I start to feel tired and then we can go home."

Jack smiled back at her. "That's all I ask, Sweetheart." Just then, one of the waitresses brought their food to them. They sat quietly for a few minutes while they ate.

"Jack, we should start thinking of names now."

"Yes, we should. Do you have any thoughts?"

"I do. I love the names Alexandra and Lilyana I am just not sure if I want to use them together. Do you have any ideas?"

"I like Lilyana. How does Lilyana Elizabeth Thornton sound to you?"

Elizabeth teared up. "You want to name our baby girl after me?"

"I do. I am in awe of what you are doing for her and she isn't here yet. Once she is born, you will be nurturing her, making sure she gets all that she needs. You are so deserving of having her named after you." He reached across the table and wiped her tears away.

"Thank you, Jack. That means so much to me. Lilyana Elizabeth is beautiful. It's perfect."

"Then it's settled." He squeezed her hand. "Should we get going? I am getting excited about our shopping trip."

Elizabeth laughed, then grinned at him. "Yes, let's go."

Jack got up and went to her side to give her a hand getting up. He helped her put her coat on and then they walked over to say goodbye to Abigail. "Thanks for breakfast, Abigail. See you soon." Jack said.

"Enjoy the rest of your day!

"So where to, Elizabeth?"

"There is a store a couple of blocks from here that sells baby furniture that can grow with the baby. The crib can be turned into a toddler bed and then into a regular bed as the child grows. I thought that sounded like a great idea."

"I like it. Let's go."

After a short walk, they arrived at the store. Jack opened the door for her, then followed her in. They were immediately approached by a sales person. "Welcome! May I help you with something?"

"Yes." Elizabeth told her. "We are looking for baby furniture." She had unbuttoned her coat as they walked in and now she rubbed her belly.

"Congratulations! Come with me." The young woman started to the back of the store. "Here we are. I will let you browse for a bit but let me know if you have any questions. My name is Lily." She nodded her head and then walked away from them.

They looked at each other. "My goodness. I am feeling de ja vu." Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth wondered.

"The woman who helped me pick out your engagement ring was named Beth. I took it as a sign that I was meant to purchase the ring at that store. Now we have a woman named Lily wanting to help us by our little Lily her furniture. It's fate."

Elizabeth felt more tears in her eyes. "It is fate." She gave him a warm hug. "Let's walk around separately, make notes on which ones we like, then show then to each other."

"Ok, Sweetheart." He kissed her, lingering for a moment on her lips and rested a hand on her belly, then he went in one direction to look at cribs.

Elizabeth watched him for a moment, feeling the love he had for her and their daughter. She then went off the other way and started browsing. She wasn't immediately impressed with what she saw. She wasn't sure what exactly she wanted but she wanted it to stand out to her. She wanted it to say "Lilyana wants me". Elizabeth was about to go find Jack and tell him she wanted to leave when her eye caught something. It was a beautiful light oak crib and next to it was the toddler bed that it could be turned into as the baby grew. As she got closer, she noticed the crib had little carvings in it of Bugs Bunny characters and the toddler bed next to it had Care Bears. She read the tag and discovered there were lots of things that could be carved into the wood. She read through the list until she found the one she wanted. She smiled and then turned to go get Jack. She found him looking at a crib almost the same color as the one she was looking at but it didn't have any carvings.

Jack looked up from the price tag and saw Elizabeth approaching him with a big grin on her face. He walked over to her and kissed her again. "You must have found something you liked."

"I did and I know you are going to agree with me. Come on." She grabbed his hand and quickly made her way back to the crib.

Jack looked it over and smiled at the Bugs Bunny carvings. "I like it. Did you want to change our theme to Looney Tunes?"

"No, Jack. Read the information tag." She watched his face while he was reading. She saw the exact moment when he read what was making her so excited.

"Winnie the Pooh. We can have them carve in Winnie, Tigger and their friends. It's perfect!" He took her in his arms and gave her a big hug. When he opened his eyes he saw the toddler bed. "We can have them do the carvings on the beds too?"

"Yes we can! And according to the tag we may be able to order a rocking chair with the carvings too. This is the set I would like to get! I feel like it's telling me Lilyana would love to have it."

"Me too. Let me go get Lily and see what we need to do to place the order."

A half an hour later, they left the store having put in the order for the crib, a rocking chair and a chest of drawers. Elizabeth was starting to get tired and true to her word, she told Jack. They went home and decided to relax in bed while browsing baby stores looking for Winnie the Pooh bedding and other things for the babies. Their day ended with Jack cooking dinner for her and the two of them cuddling while watching a movie. It was a perfect day.


	22. Staying Strong

A few weeks later, right before Valentine's Day, Elizabeth began to feel out of sorts. She was exhausted most of the time and she was occasionally feeling pains. They didn't hurt that much and she would only get a couple of them per day so she thought maybe she was already experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. This particular day, she was concerned because she was feeling worse than she ever had before. The pains were coming frequently than before even after she went to lie down in the employee lounge. She realized she needed to stop working and possibly go on bed rest at home. She slowly sat up on the sofa and felt dizzy. She tried to stand up but the dizziness felt worse and she sat right back down. Fortunately, Rosie walked in just at that moment.

"Elizabeth, is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure but I want to see Dr. Brady. I have been having contractions on and off for the last week or so but only a couple a day. I have had more today and I am exhausted and dizzy."

"Of course, but first let me call upstairs for the doctor and see if she wants me to bring you to her." She picked up the phone, talked to Sarah for a couple of minutes, then hung up. "Sarah is going to come down here. She wants me to help you get settled in an exam room. I will be right back with a wheel chair." A minute later, Rosie was back with Dr. Hammond. He walked over to the sofa and gently picked her up and put her in the chair.

"I hope everything is ok with you and the baby, Elizabeth." He told her. "I will be praying for you."

"Thank you, Dr. Hammond."

He held the door open while Rosie pushed the wheel chair through. She turned to bring Elizabeth to an exam room in the back of the department so Elizabeth could have some privacy. Once she got Elizabeth settled in a gown and on the bed, she pulled out her phone. "Do you want me to call Jack?"

"Yes, but maybe you should call Lee and then he can tell Jack. Jack is going to be so worried and you might not get a word in edgewise."

"Good idea. Not to mention Lee can drive him over here."

"Yes. I hate to see how Jack would drive if he was behind the wheel."

Rosie put the phone to her ear and waiting for Lee to pick up.

"Hi, Honey. How's your day going?" Lee said when he answered.

"I'm fine but I need your help with something. Is Jack with you? Just answer yes or no."

"Yes. What can I help you with?" Lee realized something must be wrong with Elizabeth. He glanced at Jack, who was looking back at him intently.

"I'm afraid Elizabeth is experiencing some trouble with the pregnancy. Would you be able to tell him and then drive him over here?"

"Of course." He didn't say anything else but was hoping Rosie would tell him more.

"Ok. If Jack asks, she says she is feeling exhausted and has been feeling occasional pains and dizzy spells. Her doctor is going to be here any minute to check her out. She is in a room in the ER"

"Ok. Talk to you soon."

"Thank you." Rosie hung up the phone and turned to Elizabeth. "Lee is going to tell him and bring him here."

"Good." Elizabeth said as she felt another pain start. Rosie took her hand and let her friend squeeze it while they waited for Sarah.

Lee put his phone away and looked at Jack. "Come to the interrogation room with me, Jack."

Jack look at him strangely, wondering what was going on. He got up and followed his friend. Once they were in the room and the door closed, Jack asked him what was going on.

"Jack that was Rosie." He paused for a moment, not sure how to tell his friend this news. "Elizabeth isn't feeling well. She's…."

"What? What's wrong with her? I need to get to the hospital." Jack interrupted.

"Jack, calm down. I will take you to her in a few minutes but let me explain first."

Jack, who had been pacing the small room, looked over at Lee and then sat down. "I'm sorry, Lee. Go ahead."

"Rosie said she is exhausted and dizzy and that she has also been experiencing pains every so often but they are worse today. They have called Elizabeth's doctor and she is coming down to the ER to examine her."

"Ok, ok. That's good." Jack stood up and paced again, then turned back to Lee. "Drive me to the hospital, please? I don't think I should get behind the wheel. I'm too nervous and scared."

"Of course." Lee was relieved that Jack realized he shouldn't drive. He had expected a fight. They left the interrogation room, spoke briefly to their supervisor letting them know what was going on. He told Jack to take a couple of days off and to keep him in the loop. Lee and Jack then hurried out of the police station and to the car. Jack prayed the whole way to the hospital.

The pains Elizabeth had been experiencing were going away but she still felt tired and when she would shift on the gurney to get comfortable she would feel dizzy. She was still waiting for Sarah to come down; apparently there had been an emergency with one of the laboring mothers. Sarah had sent down one of her residents to take a quick look at Elizabeth. By that time, Elizabeth was stabilizing and her vitals were good, so the resident left Elizabeth to rest and wait for Jack to arrive.

A few minutes later, Jack rushed through the door to Elizabeth's exam room and ran to her side. He kissed her forehead and then sat down next to her, putting his arm around her. "How are you feeling, Sweetheart?" He looked at her with worried eyes.

"I'm feeling a little better. The contractions have stopped but I am still very tired and dizzy. Sarah should be down soon. Her resident checked me out and seems to think I just need to get more rest and drink more water but we need to see what Sarah says. Whatever she says I should do, I will do it without questions. I just want our daughter to be healthy and stay in my womb until she is due."

Jack pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. He felt tears forming in his eyes. "I knew you would say that. I love you, so much. I never knew it could be possible to love someone so much. I love our daughter so much too, our little Lilyana Elizabeth. It's amazing." He pulled back and looked into her eyes with an expression of pure love in his eyes.

"I know." She was about to say more when they heard a knock on the door. Sarah stuck her head in.

"Hi Elizabeth, Jack. Sorry for the delay coming down here but my resident filled me in. Are you still experiencing contractions?"

"No, they stopped about an hour ago. I am still dizzy and very tired. I have also started to feel nauseous. "

Sarah picked up Elizabeth's chart and made some notes. "Let me examine you."

Elizabeth scooted down on the gurney and got herself situated for the exam. She grabbed Jack's hand and squeezed it. He picked up her hand and kissed it, trying to comfort her as well as himself. She felt her heart was pounding the whole time. Finally, Sarah stood up and made some more notes in Elizabeth's chart. "Sarah? How was my exam?"

"Elizabeth, the contractions were Braxton Hicks, which is good. I am concerned about the exhaustion and dizziness. The nausea you are experiencing is because of the dizziness. You aren't in any danger of going into premature labor but I feel the best thing for both you and the baby would be for you to go on medical leave. You need to get more rest and be off your feet more, however you don't need to be on total bed rest. I also want to start seeing you once a week."

Both Jack and Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Sarah."

"You're welcome. How is your dizziness now?"

"It's better now that I had fluids administered."

"Good. I am going to discharge you now. Go home, get some rest and let this handsome man of yours pamper you."

"I will." Elizabeth smiled at Jack as Sarah left the room.

Jack pulled her into his arms and held her tight. "Thank God everything is fine." He whispered in her ear.

Elizabeth wanted to say she agreed with him but all she could was break down in tears. Jack felt her shaking and knew instantly she was crying. He rocked her back and forth, rubbing her back and whispering that he loved her. After a few minutes, she stopped crying. "Thank you for comforting me, Jack. I have been holding in my fears and worries about what was going on with me and now it just hit me,"

"I know, Sweetheart. I know. I feel the same way. I am so thankful that you and Lilyana are fine." He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "I was told to take a couple of days off from work to take care of you."

"You were? That would be wonderful. It won't be long before we won't get too much alone time together." She patted her belly and smiled.

Jack rested his hand on top of hers. He was about to say something to her when the door opened and Rosie walked in. "Elizabeth, I have your discharge papers and your clothes. Lee said he would drive you home so you don't have to ride the subway." She handed the clothes to Elizabeth. "I will leave you alone to change. Jack, open the door when she is ready so I can bring the wheel chair in. And no protesting the chair, Elizabeth." Rosie gave her a stern look.

Elizabeth laughed. "I promise. I will be a good patient."

"Good!" Rosie said and they both burst out giggling, then she left the room.

An hour later, Lee parked the car in front of their apartment building and got out to help Jack get Elizabeth inside. Jack handed Lee the apartment keys and then gently picked Elizabeth up. He knew she could walk but he wanted her off her feet as much as possible the next few days. Once Lee opened their apartment for them, he left, with the promise they would call if they needed anything.

"Jack, would you please bring me to our bedroom? I want to change."

"Of course. After you change, do you feel like something to eat?"

"I would, actually. I didn't eat lunch because of what happened and I am starting to get hungry."

"That's good." Jack settled her down on the edge of the bed and went to get her comfortable clothes. He helped get changed. "Do you want to get into bed or relax on the sofa?"

"The sofa please, at least for now. I want to let my food digest before taking a nap."

"Ok." He carried her to the living and put her gently down on the sofa. "I was thinking I could go run down to the café and get some chicken soup. Then I will make you a grilled cheese if you would like."

"That sounds perfect, Jack. I could also go for one of Abigail's desserts."

Jack laughed. "Ok. Is there anything in particular you would like?"

"You know what I like. Just pick something. I trust you."

"All right. Is there anything I can get you before you go?"

"No, I'm good. I may just close my eyes for a bit. If I fall asleep while you are gone you can wake me when you get home."

Jack walked over to give her a kiss. "Ok, Sweetheart. I will be back soon." He looked into her eyes for a moment, then walked out the door.

After the door shut, Elizabeth rested her head back against the pillow Jack had placed behind her. She shut her eyes and went over in her mind all that had happened that day. She was thankful that everything was fine but it had scared her to the core. She loved her little girl so much, she couldn't bare the thought that she might have put her life in jeopardy. She cried for a couple of more minutes then ordered herself to remember everything was ok.

After she wiped away her tears, she went to get a glass of water, then settled back on the sofa. She picked up her phone and checked the time. She wanted to call her parents to let them know what was going on but they were in London doing business and anxiously awaiting the birth of their first grandchild. It wasn't that late in London but her parents went to bed early. They would not be up right now. She would have to call them tomorrow. She could call Julie but her sister had a big test coming up and she didn't want to disturb her. Besides, if Julie knew, she would blab to their parents before Elizabeth had a chance to speak with them. She decided the best thing to do would be to try and get some sleep. She drank some of her water, then pulled a fleece blanket around her body and shut her eyes. She was asleep within minutes.

Jack entered the café and saw Abigail at the counter. He walked over and sat down on one of the stools. "Hi, Abigail."

"Hi Jack. What brings you to the café at this time of day?"

"I came to get some soup for Elizabeth. She was feeling contractions, having dizzy spells and is very tired. Her doctor put her on medical leave."

Abigail gasped and squeezed Jack's hand. "I'm so sorry, Jack. How is she?"

"She is better now. We are both thankful it was nothing serious and that all she needs to do is be off her feet more."

"That's good. I will be praying for her and your little baby girl. What kind of soup can I get you? I have chicken noodle and minestrone."

"Chicken noodle sounds perfect. Also, Elizabeth wants me to bring her something sweet. I think she is having a craving but she left it up to me to pick."

"You're in luck, Jack. I made her favorite cookies and cake today. I must have sensed she needed something comforting. I will pack both up for you."

"Thank you, Abigail. We appreciate it."

"I will be back in a few minutes." She returned just as she said with a big bag. "Here you go, Jack. The soup is still hot so I don't think you will need to reheat it unless Elizabeth isn't hungry right now. I also gave you some biscuits because I know she loves them so much and for you, I put in a piece of pecan pie."

"Thanks again, Abigail." He took the bag from her.

"Tell Elizabeth I will be by to see her soon and you let me know if you need me to help cooking meals."

"You're the best, Abigail." He smiled at her but she could still see the worry in his eyes. He waved at her then walked out the door and hurried home. Even though he had only been gone a short time, he hated being away from her right now.

Elizabeth woke up when she heard the key in their door. She slowly sat up as Jack entered their apartment. "Hi, Jack." She smiled at him.

"Hi, Sweetheart. How are you feeling? Did you sleep at all while I was gone?"

"A little. I am still tired but I feel better than I did earlier today."

Jack inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He was so happy she was feeling better and he was hoping once she got some rest she wouldn't feel so exhausted anymore. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes I am."

"Good. You need to eat. Abigail had chicken noodle soup."

"That sounds perfect, along with a grilled cheese sandwich, if you still feel up to making me one."

"Of course I do." He gave her a sweet, tender kiss and placed his hand on her belly. He felt his baby girl kick him. He pulled away from Elizabeth and she was smiling. He smiled back and squeezed her hand. "I am going to get your soup and sandwich ready, then I will join you on the couch. Maybe we can watch a movie or something."

"That sounds nice. It will be nice to spend the next couple of days together. Especially the day after tomorrow, since it's Valentine's Day."

"Oh goodness. So it is. I forgot about it today with everything else going on. I better call the restaurant I made reservations at since you shouldn't be going out, but I have some other ideas in mind for how we can spend Valentine's Day."

"I have some thoughts too. How about we discuss them while we have something to eat?"

"Sounds good to me. Be back soon." He kissed her once last time then headed off to the kitchen where he got to work on her sandwich. While he was working, he went over in his mind what he could do to make Valentine's Day extra special for his Sweetheart. Before he put the sandwiches in the pan to cook, he made a call to the butcher shop around the corner. A few minutes later, he hung up the phone with a smile on his face. Then he made a call to Dr. Brady and planned to leave a message for her to call him back but she was able to take his call now. His grin was even bigger when he finished his call with Dr. Brady. He made one last call and then everything was set for Elizabeth's Valentine's Day surprises.


	23. Valentine's Surprises

Valentine's Day dawned snowy, with several inches predicted to fall before nightfall. Even though he hated the fact that Elizabeth had the issue the other day Jack was glad that they had to change their plans. He wouldn't have wanted her to go out and risk falling. His special plans for her were all set. He had been up for an hour, getting breakfast together and waiting for the flowers he ordered for her to arrive. He let Elizabeth sleep in as she needed the rest. She had slept quite a bit yesterday; he realized just how much the job had gotten to her. He was thankful she had listened to the early signs of trouble; it could have gone the other way and Elizabeth or the baby, or both could have been in more danger. He felt a tear go down his check as he thought about what could have happened.

Jack was pulled out of his thoughts by the buzzer sounding. He figured the florist was at the door. A few minutes later he brought a dozen lavender roses to the kitchen and put 10 of them in a big vase. The other two he put in a small vase to be added to the breakfast tray he was getting prepped for her. She was able to eat eggs again, no longer feeling sick if they were being cooked near her, he decided to make her an omelet. While it was cooking, he put together some fruit and warmed up some bagels. He made her tea and poured a glass of fresh orange juice to finish the tray.

He was finishing up the omelet when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Elizabeth walking into the kitchen. "Sweetheart, what are you doing out of bed? I was planning on bringing you breakfast in bed."

Elizabeth smiled and felt tears falling down her cheeks. "Oh, Jack. That's so sweet but to be fair, I didn't know you planning this. I will go back to bed." She blew him a kiss and retreated to the bedroom.

Jack smiled as he placed the omelet on a plate. He was happy she was willing to play along with his plans. He walked down to the bedroom and noticed her eyes were closed. She had a big smile on her face, making him realize she was going on with his surprise. "Breakfast is served!" He said.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and gasped. She hadn't gotten a look at what he was doing the brief time she was in the kitchen. She saw the lavender roses and picked up the vase so she could smell the bloom. She put the vase back down and looked to see what he had made her. A delicious looking omelet and what looked to be fresh strawberries. She wondered where he had found some this time of year. "Oh, Jack. This looks great. I'm so hungry this morning too."

"That's good. You didn't eat much yesterday because you were asleep most of the day. You need to keep your strength up." He leaned down to kiss her. "I'm going to get my breakfast and then after we eat, I have a surprise for you."

"You do? I can't wait for it." She said. "I may or may not have something for you too." She said mysteriously

Jack grinned at her, then gave her another kiss before going back to the kitchen. In no time he was back in the bedroom but was shocked to see Elizabeth out of bed. "Sweetheart, what are you doing out of bed? You should be off your feet and enjoying my Valentine's Day pampering."

"I wanted to get your gift. I meant to put it in my nightstand drawer but with everything that has happened the last couple of days, I forgot." She walked back to the bed, climbed in and put his gift on her nightstand. "Let's eat and then we can exchange presents." She motioned for him to join in bed, which he gladly did.

Jack picked up his glass of orange juice and held it up like he was making a toast. Elizabeth followed suit, wondering what Jack was going to say. "To my beautiful wife and mother of our daughter. I love you more than I ever thought possible and that love grows each and every day. I can't wait for our little girl to be born so she can join our family and feel the love we have for each other." He clinked his glass with hers then leaned over to kiss her. "Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetheart."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Honey." She kissed him and when she pulled away, she leaned her forehead against his. "I love you too."

Jack flashed her a dimpled smile. "Let' eat breakfast. Lily is hungry I'm sure."

Elizabeth giggled then started eating her omelet. They ate in relative silence, occasionally stealing looks at each other or touching each other's hands. When they finished, Jack took the trays back to the kitchen and brought her a glass of water so she could keep hydrated. He also brought the first part of his Valentine's present for her.

Once he returned to their bedroom, he climbed back into bed. He saw that she had placed her present for him on the bed. "Elizabeth, Sweetheart, I have this whole day planned out for you. I had to make some changes, obviously but I think you will like what I did." He leaned over and kissed her, then gave her a piece of paper that appeared to have a bow on it.

When Elizabeth took it from him, she realized he must have done something on the computer to make the papers look like a gift. She opened them up and saw what looked like a coupon of sorts. It had red roses and hearts decorating the outside edges:

This coupon entitles the bearer

Elizabeth Thornton

One bi-weekly pregnancy massage at home

Beginning on February 14th

Until the baby is born.

Elizabeth stared at the coupon. "A massage? Really?" Her eyes were shining with happiness and tears.

"I thought of the idea after we came home from the hospital. I know you have been feeling pregnancy aches and pains and I imagine it will only get worse as you get closer to your due date. I called Sarah to find out what she thought of the idea and she approved. She said you can have them for the remainder of the pregnancy but if at any point you start to get uncomfortable you can stop."

"Oh, Jack! Thank you so much, honey. I definitely could use it. I do have a question though."

"I think I know what it is. You want to know if the therapist is trained in pregnancy massage." She nodded yes. "My boss told me his daughter Alicia is a licensed massage therapist. She happened to be in the precinct last week and we got to talking. I told her you were pregnant and she mentioned she is trained in pregnancy massage. I asked for her card and after I got Sarah's approval, I called Alicia. I apologized for calling at the last minute and explained what I was looking for. I wanted her to be able to come here for your massage and wasn't sure if it was something that could be done. She actually does do home massages and had a couple of cancellations for this morning. She was more than happy to help me out. She should be here shortly."

"Jack, this is the most thoughtful gift you could have given me right now. I can't thank you enough for it." She leaned over and gave him a big thank you kiss, a kiss that left them both breathless when they parted.

"Wow!" Jack exclaimed. If that was the thank you he was getting for the massage, what would the thank you be for the rest of the gifts he was giving her later that day? "After your massage, I arraigned for Melissa to come over to do your hair and give you a manicure. Just because we aren't going out for dinner doesn't mean we can't get dressed up a little for a romantic dinner at home, a dinner I am preparing for you."

Elizabeth gasped; she couldn't believe what Jack had done for her. Tears filled her eyes again. "Jack! I can't believe all that you planned for me. A day of beauty and relaxation all in our home. A fancy dinner cooked by you. It's all too much. I don't deserve it."

"Oh Sweetheart. Don't think that way. You are doing so much by growing and nurturing our baby. You most definitely deserve some pampering." He wiped her tears away and kissed her.

"Thank you." She looked down on the bed and noticed her gift for Jack. She picked it up and held it out to Jack. "This is my gift for you. I'm afraid it's not as clever or as special as yours to me but I think you will like it."

"Anything you gift you give me is special, Sweetheart." He picked up the smaller box and tore off the wrapping paper. He opened the box to reveal a gold Roman numeral watch. "Elizabeth! This is beautiful! I used to have watch just like this. It belonged to my father and I was devastated when I lost it."

"I know. I was talking to your mother at Christmas and she mentioned it to me. At the time I had wished she would have told me sooner so I could have gotten it to give you at Christmas but then I decided Valentine's Day was better."

Jack pulled the watch out of the box and felt something on the back of it. He turned it over to find it had been engraved. _**My heart is yours until the end of time. Love, Elizabeth.**_ Jack felt himself choking up. A tear slid down his cheek and Elizabeth kissed it away. "Sweetheart, how can you say your present isn't as clever or as special as mine was to you? This is very special."

"Thank you, Jack." She had tears falling down her cheeks too. "Open your other present."

"Ok." He put his new watch on his wrist then picked up the next present. It rattled a little. When he opened the box, he saw a new sketch pad. He pulled it out and found a box of drawing pencils and tools. The box was engraved in gold with his name. "Oh, Elizabeth. This is beautiful. I love the box the tools are in." He leaned over to kiss her. "Thank you so much. I have been thinking about drawing again."

"Part of the reason I got you the pad and tools was because I was hoping you would maybe draw a family picture of us after Lily is born."

"That's just what I was thinking. Thank you again for thinking of this and my watch. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Jack put his gifts on the floor next to his side of the bed then pulled Elizabeth closer to him so they could cuddle before Alicia arrived. Elizabeth tried to find out what other surprised he had planned but he wasn't telling. It couldn't be a surprise if he did. They stayed that way, snuggling together under the blankets until the buzzer rang. "That must be Alicia. I will go let her in. I was thinking she could set up in the nursery since it's pretty much empty right now"

"That sounds good." She got out of bed and slipped on her robe. She followed Jack out to the living room. Jack verified it was Alicia at the door and buzzed her up. A couple of minutes later she knocked on their door and Jack let her in.

"Hi Alicia. Thank you again for doing this today." Jack told her. "This is Elizabeth." He put his arm around his wife.

Elizabeth extended her hand to Alicia. "Nice to meet you. I also want to thank you for coming by this morning."

"Nice to meet you too and it's my pleasure to be able to do this for you. Jack told me you are homebound for the remainder of the pregnancy. I thought it was a fabulous idea Jack came up with to treat you to massages for the remainder of your term and I am more than happy to come to your home for your massages." She took off her coat, which Jack took from her and hung in the closet. "Where would you like me to set up the table?"

"We thought the spare room would work best. We are turning into the nursery and it's pretty much empty right now. It would give you space to work and give us a quiet area for the massage."

"Perfect. I prefer to do home massage in a room where the door can be closed although I have done massages in the living room."

Elizabeth turned to Jack. "I can show Alicia where to set up. Thank you again for setting this up for me. I love you." She kissed him again.

"I love you, too. Enjoy the massage."

Elizabeth led Alicia to their spare room. Alicia started to set up the massage table and told Elizabeth to change into what she would feel comfortable in. Elizabeth went to the bedroom and pulled out a maternity camisole with thin straps. She quickly changed and slipped her robe back on. By the time she walked back to the spare room, Alicia was ready for her.

"Before we start, tell me what areas of your body are in the most pain right now."

"I'm starting to get some moderate low back pain and I feel generally achy all over."

"Ok, I will give you a full body pregnancy massage and will concentrate on your low back. Sound good?"

Elizabeth let out a sigh. "That sounds perfect."

"I am going to step out for a couple of minutes. I am sure you know this but when you are ready to get on the table, lie down on your side."

"Ok." She slipped off her robe after Alicia closed the door. She noticed that Alicia had lowered the table to make it easier for her to get on the table. Once she was ready, she waited for Alicia to return.

While Alicia was waiting for Elizabeth, she talked to Jack for a few more minutes. Jack informed her he was going to be stepping out for a few minutes. He asked Abigail to go pick out something that Elizabeth could wear at dinner but still feel comfortable and relaxed. He mentioned something in a negligee but he wasn't sure there was something that would fit. Abigail promised she would find something.

Jack returned home shortly before Elizabeth's massage was to end. He was pleased with what Abigail had found. She found a nice soft cotton night gown with thin straps and a matching robe in a pretty blue that would go nicely with Elizabeth's eyes. There were even matching slippers. Abigail went to Bath and Body works and bought some of Elizabeth's favorite bubble bath. She then put everything into boxes and wrapped them with pretty Valentine's Day paper. Jack couldn't wait for her to open them.

Jack was in the kitchen working on making a chocolate cake for dessert when he heard the door to the spare room open. He rinsed his hands and went out to the living room. "Hi Alicia. How did it go?"

"It went well. Elizabeth really enjoyed it, so much so that she fell asleep a couple of times. That's always a good sign."

"That's great! That's what I was hoping for."

"As I was finishing up she said she couldn't wait for the next massage. We talked and she would like to have weekly massages. Elizabeth is just going to check with her OB to make sure it's ok."

Jack was going to reply when they heard the door open again and Elizabeth walked out. Jack noticed immediately how much she was feeling better. Her face was glowing and her eyes were shining with happiness. "How are you feeling, Sweetheart?" He asked as he saw Alicia go into the room to get her things together.

"Much, much better, Honey. Thank you so much for thinking of it and arraigning for Alicia to come here." She stood on her toes and kissed him.

"I'm glad you are feeling better." He took her hand and led her to the couch. He pulled her into his arms and held her close, until Alicia came back out. Jack stood up and walked her to the door, thanking her for coming over, with Elizabeth echoing his thanks. Once they were alone again, Jack returned to her. "Your hairdressing should be here soon. I have a few minutes to sit with you before I have to work on dinner." He pulled her back into his embrace.

She snuggled up against his chest and sighed happily. "I love you so much, Jack. Thank you for this wonderful day. Even if you didn't have anything else planned it would still be a great day for me."

Jack grinned as the love he felt for her filled his heart. "I am so glad you are enjoying yourself today." He kissed the top of her head.

"You are the best husband a woman could ever have." She whispered as she felt herself start to get sleepy. She closed her eyes and drifted off before she knew it.

Jack listened to her breathing and realized she was asleep. He very carefully moved so he didn't wake up. He gently picked her up and carried her to bed, where he tucked her in. He gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Sweetheart." He said softly before he returned to the kitchen.

A few hours later, when they were alone again, they were sitting in bed talking about the day. Jack reached for the presents Abigail had so thoughtfully purchased for him. "I have something else for you, Sweetheart. Now I have to be honest, I had Abigail shop for these but I told her what I was looking for." He handed her the box.

"More presents? You spoil me, Jack." She accepted the beautifully wrapped gift and carefully removed the paper. She opened the lid of the box and gasped. She picked up the nightgown and held it out. It was so pretty, in a blue that would match her eyes. It was so soft too. "Oh, Jack! I love it! It's so nice and soft." She kissed him on the cheek.

"There's more, Sweetheart."

Elizabeth reached into the box and pulled out the robe. Then she found the slippers and bubble bath. "Jack, I love my gifts. Thank you so much!"

"I have one last gift for you." He reached into his nightstand drawer and pulled out a small box. "I saw this in a store window and thought of you and the love you bring me every single day." He handed her the box and watched her open it. Inside of the box was a gold heart with an opal and amethyst stones, their birthstones. "I talked to the jeweler and she said we could put our children's birthstones in the heart. To show the love of our family." He wiped away a tear as he spoke.

Elizabeth had tears streaming down her face as well. "Oh, Jack! That's a beautiful thought. I love this necklace but not nearly as much as I love you for being my husband and father to our baby girl." She leaned in for a kiss that rivaled the one she gave him earlier that day. "Jack, help me put it on." She handed him the necklace then lifted up her hair. When she heard the clasp close, she let her hair fall down over her shoulders and looked down at the necklace. It was so pretty. She turned to face Jack and snuggled up against him again. "This has been one of the best days of my life. Thank you for making it so special."

"Anything for you, Sweetheart." He cuddled with her. "I should go check on dinner. It should almost be done. Why don't you change into your new nightgown then join me in the kitchen?"

"I would love to, Jack." They kissed, then Jack left the bedroom. Elizabeth went into the bathroom to get ready. She applied a little make up and brushed her again. She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She loved what she was seeing. She looked healthy and rested, something she hadn't felt in a few weeks. She offered up a prayer thanking God for helping her realize sooner rather than later that she needed to slow down, that if she didn't something could happen to her baby girl. She was also thankful for finding Jack. What a wonderful husband she had, always willing to help her and take care of her. She was amazed at how he was able to get this whole day together in such a short amount of time. She couldn't wait to do something like that for him.

She returned to the bedroom and slipped on the new nightgown. She walked over to her full length mirror to look at herself. She gasped when she saw her reflection; this nightgown hugged her new curves beautifully. It didn't make her feel fat; it made her feel like she did on her wedding night. She slipped on her new slippers, grabbed her robe in case she got cold and walked out to join Jack.

Jack pouring some ginger ale into the champagne flutes they used for their first toast at their wedding when he heard her soft footsteps on the wood floor. He turned around and his mouth dropped open when he saw her. He had never seen her look so stunning before. He slowly made his way over to her and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. "Elizabeth, you looked gorgeous tonight night. Simply breathtaking."

"Thank you, Jack. I feel beautiful. I also feel relaxed and I am not so tired anymore." She put her arms around him and sighed happily when she felt his strong arms go around her. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you, too." He held her close, relishing the moment. Then out of the blue, he felt a kick to his stomach. "I love you too, Lilyana." He placed a hand on Elizabeth's belly and felt another kick. "I never get tired of feeling that."

"Me either. I think I am going to miss it after I give birth." She looked up at Jack's handsome face and kissed him.

"Are you hungry, Sweetheart?"

"Yes I am. I can't wait to have dinner. It smells so good."

Jack took her hand and let her to the table. He helped her sit down, then pushed her chair closer to the table. He then brought in their dinner and served her. They share a toast again, then enjoyed taking talking about their day and what their future will be like once Lilyana arrives. After dinner, Elizabeth starting feeling tired, so Jack carried her to bed and tucked her in. He quickly finished the rest of their dishes, then joined her in bed. Jack thought it would be fun to watch some Elizabeth's favorite animated movies while they relaxed together in bed. They watched her all-time favorite first, One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Part way through Beauty and the Beast, Elizabeth fell asleep in his arms. He turned the movie off, figuring they could continue tomorrow. He laid in bed for a few minutes thinking about the wonderful day they had and how blessed he was to have found Elizabeth. He drifted off to sleep dreaming about bringing Lilyana home for the first.


	24. Happy Birthday!

Elizabeth was two weeks from her due date. She was more than ready to have Lily. Between the Braxton Hicks contractions and the lack of sleep, she was done with the pregnancy and just wanted to hold Lily in her arms. The nursery was complete, thanks to Jack and Lee's hard work in painting it and putting the furniture together. They received tons of clothes, diapers and toys at the joint baby shower that William, Grace and Charlotte had thrown them. Now, all that was missing with Lily.

Jack had been very attentive to her the last few months while she was on partial bedrest. When she decided she wanted to learn how to knit and had picked colors from the craft store website, he went and purchased the yarn, knitting needles and several pattern books. She also picked out a cross stitch wall hanging she decided would be perfect for Lily's room. She spent part of her days doing her craft projects, reading some of the many books Jack had purchased for her and also trying her hand had fan fiction writing about her favorite TV show. When Jack would come home from work, he would cook them dinner, no matter how tired he was from work. Sometimes they would take a bath together. Elizabeth particularly enjoyed the baths as Jack would massage her back and shoulders, helping to release the pregnancy aches and pains in between her massage appointments. She would often return the favor when Jack would have a rough day at work.

On the day before Mother's Day, Jack had to go to the station to fill out some paperwork that needed to get done before the baby arrived so he could go on paternity leave as soon as the baby arrived, plus he had some police reports to finish up. Elizabeth was still sleeping when he got ready to leave. He wrote her a note, telling her where he was going and that afterwards he was going to run to the market. He sat down on the bed next to her and watched her peacefully sleeping, relieved that it appeared she was finally getting some well-deserved rest. He could sit there all day and look at his beautiful wife. She became more breathtaking by the day as her pregnancy advanced, even though she felt fat and clumsy. She had her moments of doubt that he could really find her attractive but then he would remind her in so many different ways that he never once during her pregnancy thought she was anything but the most beautiful woman in the world.

Jack glanced at the watch she had given him on Valentine's Day and realized he needed to get going. He stood up, then leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Sleep well, Sweetheart! I will be back soon. I love you."

She slowly opened her eyes as he walked out of the room. The door closed just as she whispered "I love you" back to him. She was still so tired that she fell right back to sleep. She woke up a short time later when she experienced a contraction. It felt different to her than the Braxton Hicks ones she had been having the last few weeks. She glanced at the time then went to get dressed. She double checked her overnight bag to make sure she had everything she needed. She walked out to the living room and put the bag near the door before settling in on the sofa. She picked up one of the books Jack had bought her, settled in to read and monitor the pains with her cell phone sitting right next to her. Twenty-five minutes after the first pain, she felt another one. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing until the pain passed about a minute later. She found herself getting excited that maybe today or tomorrow would be the day she would hold Lily in her arms. What a Mother's Day present that would be.

Close to two hours had passed since Elizabeth felt the first pain. They were coming more frequently and becoming more intense. Her back started to hurt so she decided to start walking around. It made her back feel a little better. She hoped Jack would be coming home soon. She wanted to ask him to massage her lower back during the pains. She got her wish. Just as she was feeling another contraction building, she heard the door opening. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing before she had to deal with the nerves she knew Jack would have once he learned she was more than likely in labor.

Jack opened the door and saw his wife standing still by the window. "Hi Sweetheart! How are you?" He set the grocery bags down on the floor and noticed her overnight bag. He looked back over to her and noticed that Elizabeth's eyes were shut and she was breathing like they had practiced in their birthing classes. "Elizabeth?" He flew to her side and picked up one of her hands. She immediately squeezed it, then let go a few seconds later once the pain ended.

"Hi, Daddy." She said with a small smile.

"You're in labor?" Jack asked, concern on his face. His heart started to beat faster.

"I think so. The pains started two hours ago. They feel different than the Braxton Hicks contractions and they are coming at regular intervals. They are coming about every fifteen minutes. My back started to hurt so I have been walking around, which seems to help it."

Jack started to feel nervous and excited all at the same time. The first rational thought that came to mind was what a wonderful Mother's Day present this would be for Elizabeth. Then he buckled down and started going through in his mind what needed to be done now that she was possibly in labor. He put one arm around her and took one of her hands in his, then started walking with her. "Should we leave for the hospital?" He asked even though he already knew the answer was no. She would have told him already.

"No, not yet. I called Sarah about ten minutes ago and she said to keep on doing what I am doing. When the pains get to ten minutes apart or my water breaks, then we leave for the hospital." She looked down at her clothes and let out a sigh.

"What's the matter? Did your water break? Another pain?"

"No, nothing like that. I was just thinking maybe I shouldn't have gotten dressed yet. If my water does break while we are still here, I am going to have to change."

"I have an idea." Jack said as he guided her towards the bedroom. "Let's get some clothes all ready for you in case your water does break before we leave. That will save us a few minutes."

"Good idea, Jack." A few minutes later, after they laid a change of clothes on the bed, they slowly walked back out to the living room. "Jack?"

"What is it, Sweetheart?" He replied calmly, even though he felt butterflies in his stomach.

"When I have another pain, can you massage my lower back? It still hurts even when I am standing, although not as bad as when I was sitting on the couch."

"Of course I will rub your back." He moved in front of her for a moment, then leaned in to gently kiss her.

The kiss reminded Elizabeth of when they were first dating, when everything was so new, yet it felt like she had been experiencing that type of kiss or years. When they parted, she felt another contraction starting to build. She put her arms around his neck and let gravity take hold as she began to breathe again. Jack quickly picked up the fact that his wife was having another contraction and he began to rub her back. She moaned as the pain was starting to feel really bad. Finally it passed and she pulled her arms away from his neck. "Thank you, Jack. That really helped but the pains are getting worse."

"You can squeeze my hand as hard as you want when you have a pain and please tell me if you think of anything else that might help you."

"Thank you, Jack." She smiled at him then started to walk again. For the next hour, they slowly walked the floors of their apartment, stopping whenever she had a contraction. They were getting more painful and Jack was starting to feel scared. He didn't like seeing her in pain, even though he knew that holding their little baby girl in their arms would be worth it in the end.

The contractions were coming every twelve minutes or so when Elizabeth's water broke. "Guess we are having Lily today or tomorrow." Jack excitedly said as he took Elizabeth's hand and led her towards the bedroom. "You go change and I will clean the floor and call Lee. He's home today and he said he wouldn't have a problem taking us to the hospital, if he was available to help us out."

Elizabeth gave him a kiss. "That's fine. I would much rather have him take us then go in a taxi or use Uber."

"Yeah, me too." He watched Elizabeth walk to the bedroom, then went handle things in the living room.

A few minutes later, Elizabeth walked out of the bedroom, talking on her phone to Sarah. As she ended the call, another contraction began, more painful the others she had been feeling. "Jack?" She yelled.

Jack ran to her from the kitchen. He grabbed her hand and let her squeeze it. "Breathe, Sweetheart. In and out, slowly. You are doing so well. I love you." He ran his other hand through her hair, lightly massaging her scalp. As the pain began to subside, she moaned then opened her eyes.

"That was a good one." She said and weakly smiled. "I can't believe I have hours yet to go before I can start pushing. I think I am going to get an epidural." They had discussed her getting one during their appointments with Sarah but Elizabeth wanted to see how bad the pain was before she decided.

"That's fine, Sweetheart. I stand behind you one percent with whatever you decide."

"I know. Thank you." She kissed his cheek just as they heard the buzzer going off.

Jack let go of Elizabeth's hand. "That must be Lee." When he answered he found out the visitor was Rosie, who had been with Lee when he got the call from Jack. Jack unlocked the door and a few minutes later, she knocked then walked in.

"Hi there, parents-to-be. I hear a baby is about to be born." She walked over to Elizabeth and gave her a quick hug. "Do you have your bag ready?" She inquired as she put her arm through Elizabeth's and started for the door.

"Yes, I do. Jack, would you get it for me?" She turned her head to look at him and noticed he already had the bag in his hand. They started for the stairs when Elizabeth had another pain. Jack took one hand and Rosie the other, while they coached Elizabeth through it. When it was over, they made their way downstairs and to Lee's car.

Once Jack had Elizabeth as comfortable as she could be in the back seat, he took her hand in his so he could be ready for her next contraction. "Sweetheart? Do you want to call the family now or wait until you get closer to delivery?"

"Hmm, that's a tough one. I feel they should know right away but then they will on descend on the hospital and probably drive me crazy. If we don't tell them, they will get mad that we didn't call them right away."

"Maybe you should call your parents now and Lee and I will sit with them in the waiting room. You know, keep them occupied so they don't bother you." Rosie suggested.

"Rosie, I can't ask you to do that. This is your weekend off with Lee. Go enjoy it." Elizabeth told her friend.

"Elizabeth, are you kidding me? Do you honestly think I could go do anything else knowing Lily Is going to be here soon? I don't mind at all keeping your parents company while we wait."

"Same goes for me." Lee agreed. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. I think Rosie and I are almost as excited as you two are."

Elizabeth knew her friend would do this for her. She looked at Jack and he nodded his head indicating that he thought it was a good idea. Then he pulled out his phone. "Ok, Rosie. We will take you up on your kind offer. Thank you." She reached over to put her hand on Rosie's shoulder, who in turn put her hand on top of Elizabeth's. Just then, another contraction started and Elizabeth bit her lip to try to keep from moaning while Jack was on the phone. Rosie noticed and grabbed her friend's hand. Elizabeth grasped it while she breathed through the pain.

Jack could see that Elizabeth was having a contraction while he was talking to his mom. He blanked out for a moment, not remembering what he was saying. He quickly ended the call and turned his attention back to his wife. "You are doing so well, Sweetheart." He raised his hand and stroked her cheek. "All parents have been notified and are spreading the word to our siblings."

"That's good." Elizabeth replied, a little out of breath. She looked up and saw they were about two blocks away from Boston City Hospital. "Thank goodness we're here. The pains are coming closer together and they are really hurting. I can't wait to get the epidural."

"I'm glad you decided you want one." Rosie told her. "There is no need to go through all that pain."

Elizabeth tried to smile at her friend but she was becoming more and more uncomfortable. Something didn't feel right to her. Just then another contraction began, not even five minutes from her last one. It was so incredibly painful that she screamed and grabbed Jack's hand very tightly. "This hurts so badly" She cried out. "Jack, make it stop!"

Jack looked at her and his heart broke. She had tears falling down her face and she looked like she was about to have a panic attack. He moved closer to her and rubbed her shoulders. "Sweetheart, you are doing so well. You are amazing. We are just minutes from the hospital and then you can have the epidural. Just keep breathing. I love you." He kissed her cheek as her breathing slowed, indicating the pain was over. He wiped the tears from her face.

Elizabeth looked over to Jack, the tears still continuing to fall. She was going to say something to him when another pain began only this time she felt the urge to push. She clamped down on Jack's hand. "Something's not right. I feel like I have to push! I shouldn't have to push already." She shouted.

Rosie turned around from the front seat and looked shocked. Jack froze, not knowing what to say or do. Lee started pounding on the horn as Rosie called ahead to the ER. "Emily! Get a gurney out to the ambulance bay immediately and grab a doctor. Elizabeth is in labor and things have changed drastically in the last few minutes. She feels the urge to push! We need to examine her in the ER!" Rosie hung up the phone and grabbed Elizabeth's other hand. Elizabeth looked like she was starting to bear down. "Elizabeth, look at me!" She waited until she got her friend's attention. "You can't push yet, not until we examine you in the ER and determine if you are at 10. Jack and I will help you to breathe and try to get you to focus on something else. Are you with me?

Elizabeth nodded, tears still descending. The pains were coming so close together and the urge to push was so strong. She breathed until she thought she would pass out and put so much pressure on Jack's and Rosie's hands that they both thought they would have broken fingers.

"Elizabeth, Sweetheart we are just about there. I can see Emily standing outside with a gurney for you." Jack stroked her cheek with his other hand. "You are amazing. I love you so much. I know you can do this." He looked at the ER entrance again. "Open your eyes Sweetheart. Sarah is waiting with Emily."

Elizabeth felt the car slowing down and she opened her eyes as she heard what Jack said. She barely had time to whisper "Thank goodness" before another contraction began. She screamed so loud that Emily and Sarah heard her before the car even stopped. They rushed to the door and helped their patient out.

"It sounds like Lily is in a hurry to meet her parents." Sarah said with a smile as Emily and Rosie helped Jack get Elizabeth on the gurney. "Quickly, let's get her in to a trauma room where we can have more privacy."

Rosie and Emily quickly got Elizabeth out of her clothes and into a gown. One of the other nurses gave scrubs to Jack, who then went to stand by Elizabeth's head. She was having another pain and he took her hand and helped her through it. She was screaming louder now. To her, it felt like the head was ready to be born already.

Sarah sat down on a stool and assessed her patient. "Ok, Elizabeth. You are at 10. On the next contraction, you can go ahead and start pushing."

"Thank goodness because another pain is starting!" Elizabeth screamed and began to push.

Jack put one arm around her shoulders and gently pushed her up to help with the pushing. He then let her grab his hand, which she promptly squeezed so hard he heard his fingers cracking. He ignored the sound and concentrated on her. "You are doing so well, Elizabeth. I know it hurts so much right now but in a few minutes Lily will be in your arms. Try and focus on that. I know you can do this."

For the next half hour, Jack continued to whisper in her ear, telling her how proud of her he was but at the same time, he was getting increasingly alarmed. It seemed to him that she should have had the baby by now but being a man, he would never actually deliver a baby and as a police officer had to deliver a baby either. He felt it best to keep his mouth shut. After one particularly rough contraction, he sensed a change in Elizabeth. When it was over, she just laid back on the gurney, her eyes shut, and her face showing complete exhaustion.

"Jack, can't do this anymore. Too tired." She murmured.

Jack began to panic. This wasn't like her. She was the strongest woman he knew. "Yes, you can do this. I know you can. You have been doing so well. Lily is waiting to meet us."

Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked up at Jack. She could see the fear in his eyes, like he was scared she was going to give up and die. That gave her the motivation and energy to start pushing again. She felt like if she did give up, she would be letting Jack and Lily down. She sat up and pushed again with all her might and yelling as she finally felt the head move from her body, then the shoulders and with one final push Lily was born. Congratulations could be heard from all the staff in the room, only the new parents didn't hear them. They were waiting to hear something else and then finally, they heard it. Jack and Elizabeth held each other and cried.

"Daddy, would you like to cut the cord?" Sarah asked.

Jack was feeling so many emotions that all he could do was nod his head yes as he walked over to Sarah and Lily. He got his first look at his little girl; she was absolutely beautiful, just like her Mama. Sarah showed him where to cut, then she finished cleaning Lily and handed her to her Daddy. Sarah motioned for everyone to leave the room so that the new family could be alone.

Jack walked back up to Elizabeth, who was impatiently waiting to hold her daughter. "Hi, Lily. I'm your Daddy. I love you so very much. Here's your Mama." He told her as he placed Lily in Elizabeth's arms.

Elizabeth still had tears falling down her face but this time they were happy tears. Gone for the moment was the pain she had experienced. In its place was extreme joy at finally becoming a mother. "Welcome to the world, Lilyana Elizabeth Thornton. I love you so much." She lifted her head to look at Jack, who had a look of pure love on his face.

"Look at my beautiful girls." He said softly as he moved to stand behind Elizabeth, so he could gaze down on their daughter. He felt himself start to cry again. "I love you so much, Elizabeth. You were amazing today."

"I love you too, Jack. You were amazing too. Thank you for helping me when I wanted to give up, for giving me the strength to continue. I know I frightened you and I am sorry for that."

"Hush now. Yes you scared me a little but I had an idea of what you were thinking and feeling. Once the labor speed up I saw how it took a lot out of you. Plus you were doing it without any pain meds. Of course you would get tired very quickly. I am just so happy that men can be with their wives now. If we lived in the early twentieth century I would have been put in some cramped waiting room with other nervous dads worrying myself sick over you. Being with you helped take some of the worry away."

They looked back down at Lily again just as she was opening her eyes. Lily had her mother's eyes, hair color and nose. From her daddy, she inherited his heart shaped lips and dimples. She was the most beautiful baby in the world to her parents.

Sarah and Rosie walked back into the trauma room. "Sorry to interrupt." Sarah told the new parents. "I need to check Elizabeth and then we can move her and Lily up to the maternity floor."

Elizabeth handled Lily to Jack, then gasped. "Oh my! Our parents. We forgot about them. I'm sure my parents are here already but they probably went up there to wait for news about me." Elizabeth looked panicked, since she knew her father had a tendency to get angry when he couldn't get answers to his questions. This would be one of those situations.

"Elizabeth, relax." Rosie put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Lee and I will go up there now and explain everything to them."

Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I would really appreciate that."

"See you in a little while." Rosie hugged both Elizabeth and Jack, gave Lily a little kiss, and then went to grab Lee.

"Things are looking good here Elizabeth. I am going to contact Maternity and let them know you are ready for transport." She left the room, leaving the new parents alone again.

Lily started to whimper in Jack's arms. "What's the matter, Sweet Pea?" He asked her as he gently bounced her. She started to make sucking noises and moving her tongue in and out of her mouth. "Elizabeth, I think she may be hungry."

Elizabeth reached her arms out to take Lily back. "I think she is. Can you help me remove my gown from one shoulder?" A couple of minutes later, Lily had latched on and began to eat, laying her tiny hand on her Mommy's breast. Elizabeth gently stroked Lily's head as she watched her eat.

Jack was totally mesmerized by what he was seeing. "Elizabeth, you look so beautiful feeding our daughter." He whispered as he sat down on the edge of the gurney facing his wife and daughter. "I love you both so much." The tears started to fall again. He was so happy and so much in love with his family. Life couldn't get any better than this.


	25. The grandparents

Rosie and Lee walked off the elevator onto the Maternity Floor. They could hear William yelling at the desk clerk about Elizabeth. Rosie ran over, pulled him towards the waiting room and sent an apologetic look to Cindy, the clerk that had been dealing with the new Grandpa. Grace quickly followed them.

"Rosie, what's going on?" William turned to her. "Why hasn't Beth been admitted yet? Where's Jack? Is something wrong?"

"No sir, nothing's wrong. Elizabeth is down in the ER." Rosie was about to continue but was interrupted.

"The ER? Why is she down there and not in a room up here? Are you sure nothing is wrong?" William frantically asked. He quickly prayed that nothing was wrong with his daughter and granddaughter.

"Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher, there is nothing wrong. The reason Elizabeth is downstairs is because your granddaughter wanted to meet her parents more quickly than any of us thought."

Grace and William looked at each other, confused. "What do you mean, Rosemary?" Grace inquired.

"Elizabeth had only been in labor about three hours when her water broke. Jack called Lee to come drive them to the hospital. I was with Lee so I went along too. While we were in the car, her contractions started coming much closer together and they quickly became unbearable for Elizabeth. We were about two or three blocks from here when Elizabeth said she felt the urge to push. I called ahead to the ER and explained the situation. Based on what Elizabeth was feeling, I knew she would need to be examined in the ER to see how close she was to delivery. It was a good thing I did because Elizabeth was already at ten. If we had tried to bring her up here, she more than likely could have delivered in the elevator. It did take another half hour for your granddaughter to arrive but it was safer that way for both mother and baby."

"Thank goodness!" Grace whispered. "How is the new family doing?"

"They are fine, Mrs. Thatcher. Elizabeth is probably going to be sore for a while but she handled the delivery very well, especially without pain meds. I can tell you your granddaughter is absolutely beautiful. She has Elizabeth's dark hair and blue eyes and Jack's mouth. I think she may even have his dimples."

"I can't wait to see them." William said as he wiped a tear from his eyes. To think he almost missed all this because of his stubborn streak. Now he had a new grandson and granddaughter to love and spoil. Lily's cousin Billy, named of course after his grandfather, was only a little over a month old. He silently thanked God for his health and his wonderful family.

"Elizabeth should be coming up here very soon. Why don't you have a seat in the waiting room and I will keep an eye out for her? I will come back and get you once she is settled in her room."

"Thank you Rosemary." Grace gave her a quick hug. "I am going to call the rest of the family and let them know Lily is here. They are going to be just as shocked as we are. We were expecting to be waiting for hours." She pulled out her cell phone and sat down on a chair. Rosemary waved good bye to her and walked over to the nurse's station.

Grace couldn't decide to call first. She felt Charlotte should be told next but she was driving down from New Hampshire and she didn't want to distract her. Julie was either studying or out someplace with Tom. Grace decided to call her eldest daughter first, since it was early evening in London. She dialed the number and waited.

"Mother?" Viola asked. "We just talked yesterday. Is there anything wrong?"

"No, Dear. I wanted to let you know you are officially an Aunt."

Viola let out a little excited yelp. "Lily's here? How's Beth? May I speak to her?"

"Well, your niece decided to join this world rather quickly. Your sister was only in labor about three to four hours. On the way to the hospital, the contractions speed up and Beth felt like she needed to start pushing. They brought her into the ER and your sister was already at ten. A half hour later, Lily was born. Beth hasn't been brought up to the Maternity floor yet."

"Oh, wow! I thought my labor and delivery was fast at ten hours. Beth must be so tired."

"I'm sure she is." The proud Grandma said. In the background she heard Billy start to cry. "I'll let you go, Viola. Sounds like Billy may be hungry."

"OK, Mom. Tell Elizabeth I will try to call either later today or tomorrow. And tell her I said congratulations" They said their goodbyes and hung up.

Grace was about to call her other daughter when she saw Charlotte step off the elevator. She called her over to the waiting area. "Charlotte, the baby is here already!"

"What? I thought I was going to be pacing the floor here waiting for hours until we got news. What happened? Have you seen the new family yet?"

Grace quickly explained what had happened. "We are still waiting for Beth to be admitted up here." Grace turned to go back to the waiting room. Charlotte followed her.

"Grace, where's William? I thought he would be up here pacing, waiting to see his daughter and granddaughter."

Grace looked around the floor and realized it had been quite some time since she had seen him. "Oh, no! I bet he went down to the ER. He was never one to stay still for long." Grace hoped he wasn't making a nuisance of himself. That was the last thing Beth needed. Grace saw Rosemary and Lee at the nurse's desk and walked over to them. "Rosemary, William seems to have disappeared. I think he may have gone down to the ER."

Rosemary, knowing how William could be, agreed with Grace. "I can call downstairs for you and find out." Rosemary offered.

"How about I go down and look for him?" Lee asked. "I can bring him back up here."

"Would you, Lee? I would very much appreciate that." Grace looked relieved.

"I'm sure Jack and Elizabeth will too." Lee said.

"You're absolutely right." Grace replied with a little smile on her face. 'Thank you, Lee." She watched Lee get on the elevator, then turned back to Rosemary. "That husband of mine can be such a pain." She smiled at Rosemary then returned to the waiting room. Charlotte was on the phone with her other son when she got there.

"Ok, Tom. We will see you both a little later." Charlotte disconnected the call. "Julie is with Tom. They are going to come down a little later. They thought it would be better to wait a while so that Elizabeth can get settled first."

"That's a good idea." Grace commented. "We have too many distractions going on right now."

Down in the ER, William had done exactly what Grace had feared. He wanted to see his little girl, well not so little since she now has a little girl of her own. He wanted to make sure everything was fine with the new family. Not that he didn't believe Rosemary but after his health scare he just wanted to make sure his family was OK. He looked around the department, unsure of where to go. He not been so stubborn about Beth's career choice he would have visited here before. He knew that Elizabeth was the nurse manager for the Emergency Department and he was so proud of her.

Just then a nurse happened to walk by and she noticed the older gentleman seemed a little confused. Something about him looked a little familiar. "Sir, is there something I can help you with?" She asked.

"Um, yes there is." He glanced at her name tag. "Emily, I'm looking for Beth, I'm sorry, Elizabeth Thornton. I'm her father."

Emily smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Thatcher and congratulations. I'm one of the nurses who helped Elizabeth during the delivery. She's still in the trauma room waiting for transport to bring her upstairs. I can show you where it is."

"Trauma room? Did something go wrong in the delivery? Are my daughter and granddaughter ok?" His voice got louder as he talked to Emily, his voice making it down to the trauma room and to Jack's ears.

Elizabeth began to drift off while she was still feeding Lily. Jack took his daughter from his wife and put her on his shoulder, burping her before settling down in a chair Emily had brought in for him. He stared at his precious little daughter, amazed that she was finally here and looked so much like her beautiful mother. Every time he looked at Lily, he fell in love all over again. Unfortunately his father/daughter bonding time was interrupted by William's voice. Lily started to whimper as she sensed something wasn't right. Jack stood up and gently bounced her until she quieted down, then put her in her bassinette. He walked out into the hallway to speak to his father-in-law.

William spotted him right away. "Jack! What is going on? Is something wrong with Elizabeth and the baby? Why are you still down here? I want to see….."

Jack had had enough. He sent a look to Emily, who understood what he wanted and walked into the trauma room to be with Elizabeth and Lily. Jack then turned to the new grandfather. "William I have to ask you to please keep it down. Elizabeth and Lily are sleeping and your voice can be heard where they are. Elizabeth needs her rest." William looked angry for a moment then realized Jack was right. He nodded, then allowed Jack to move him towards the nurse's desk, away from the trauma room. "Elizabeth and Lily are fine. Elizabeth is in a little more pain than usual because of the fast delivery and it might take her a bit longer to recover but other than that the birth went smoothly."

"Thank heavens. Rosie told us what happened but for some reason I just felt something was wrong." The elevator door opened and Lee walked out, thankful to see William talking with Jack. "May I see them?" William inquired.

"Elizabeth wants you and Grace to meet her together for the first time once she is brought up to her room." Jack informed him, then looked over to Lee.

"Come on, Mr. Thatcher. Let's go up to the first floor and check out the gift and floral shops. I'm sure Elizabeth would love to have some pretty flowers for her room and maybe you can pick up a little gift for your new granddaughter."

William looked down the hall towards the trauma room, not wanting to leave but realizing Jack and Lee were right. He should see Lily with Grace. "That sounds like a good idea Lee. Thank you." He walked towards the elevator and pushed the up button. Lee looked at Jack, who mouth the words "thank you" to him as the doors opened.

Jack turned and walked back to the trauma room. Lily was crying again and Elizabeth was waking up. Jack rushed in, picked up Lily and gently bounced her while singing a song to her. She immediately quieted down as she recognized the voice and strong arms of her daddy. After she fell back to sleep, Jack walked over to Elizabeth.

"I'm sorry I wasn't in here to get Lily before she woke up." He kissed Elizabeth and looked into her tired but beautiful eyes. "Your father was down here demanding to see you."

Elizabeth buried her head in her hands and groaned. "Oh no! I should have known he would slip away from upstairs."

"Don't worry, Sweetheart! Lee came down and got him."

"Thank goodness. We are so lucky to have friends like Lee and Rosie."

"Yes we are."

At that moment, two nurse arrived from maternity to get Elizabeth and Lily ready to be moved. Jack reluctantly put Lily in her bassinet, then went to stand by Elizabeth as they pushed her gurney out into the hall. About ten minutes later, Jack and the nurses helped Elizabeth get into her bed. She moaned as she settled in.

"Is there anything we can get for you, Mrs. Thornton? Would you like something for the pain?" The nurse named Alicia asked.

"Maybe just some Tylenol for now. I have family coming to see me and I don't want to be groggy."

"Of course. Would you like something to eat?"

"Hmm, just some crackers. I'm feeling a little nauseous."

"Would you like something for the nausea? I can check with your doctor."

"Not right now. I want to see if I can settle my stomach with the crackers. Oh if you have some tea, I would love a cup."

"Of course. I will be right back. By the way, your baby is one of the most beautiful babies I have seen. Once she is registered in the nursey, one of the other nurses will bring her in. I saw on your chart that she ate a couple of hours ago. I'm sure she is going to want to eat again soon." She smiled at the happy couple then left the room.

Jack moved a chair closer to the bed and sat down. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and nervously played with her fingers while his knee bounced up and down. He looked toward the door and then back to his wife. "I should go to the nursery and check on Lily. Make sure she is being taken care of nicely." He tried to stand but Elizabeth held on tight to his hand.

"Jack, she's fine. As Alicia said, they will be bringing her as soon as they have things settled for her in the nursery." She stroked his hand. "I love that you are worried about her."

Jack grinned at her, feeling his nerves ease away as he gazed into her blue eyes. "Sweetheart, I never thought I would feel this way once she was born. This need to protect her at all costs is so strong. I love her and her Mama so much. I can't let anything happen to either of you." Elizabeth had moved over a bit on the bed and he sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her while kissing her temple "Our Lily is so beautiful."

Elizabeth had tears falling down her cheeks again. "She is beautiful. I think she is going to have her daddy's smile and dimples."

"And she has her Mama's eyes and dark curly hair."

"Heaven help us when she is a teenager. She is going to have a long line of boys wanting to date her." Elizabeth smirked as she talked, knowing that Jack would probably try to scare boys away from his baby girl.

Sure enough, Jack's expression changed to that of a glare. "I am going to have to lock her in her room until she's 30 and get myself a rifle to keep those boys away."

Elizabeth burst out laughing. "I just knew you would say that." She managed to say in between giggles. At that moment, Lily was brought into the room. "There she is." Elizabeth sighed happily.

Jack jumped off the bed and went over to the bassinet. Lily was awake and her eyes were moving around, taking everything in. She looked like she was smiling. "Hi, Princess." He cooed at her as he gently picked her up. Her gaze moved to take him in; she once again knew her strong Daddy was holding her close. "Let's go see Mama." He walked back over to the bed and placed Lily in Elizabeth's waiting arms.

"Hi Baby Girl." She kissed Lily's head. "Daddy and I love you so much." Elizabeth gently stroked her daughter's face and noticed that Lily was making sucking noises. "Jack could you go into my bag and grab one of the small towels I put in there? Lily wants to eat again and I want to cover myself in case the family comes in while I am feeding her."

'Sure, Sweetheart." He quickly grabbed the towel and handed it to his wife. Then he sat down and watched Elizabeth feeding their daughter. She was so beautiful, her hair in a ponytail draped over one shoulder, her hand stroking Lily's arm. He could just make out Lily's tiny hand splayed on Elizabeth's breast. His girls made such a pretty picture.

Elizabeth looked over to him as she began to sense she was being watched. "What, Jack?"

"You both just look so breathtaking. I can't get over how I have the two most beautiful girls in the world loving me. I'm so lucky to have you both in my life." He wiped some tears from his eyes as he stood up. He leaned down and kissed his wife, then his daughter. "I love you both so much." He managed to say just as they heard a knock on the door.

"Hi guys!" Rosie poked her head in.

"Rosie, come in." Jack told her.

"I have some pretty anxious grandparents out there. I saw Lily was brought in so I thought it would be a good idea to let you have some time alone with her, especially if she wanted to eat. Should I hold off bringing your parents in?"

"No, they have waited long enough. I have myself covered so I don't mind if they come in now." Elizabeth replied with a smile.

"OK, I will go get them."

Elizabeth looked down at her little angel and noticed Lily was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. She pulled Lily away from her breast, put her on her shoulder and burped her. Jack helped her button her nightgown back up and put the towel on the table next to the bed while Elizabeth settled Lily back in her arms to await the arrival of the grandparents. She didn't have to wait long.

"Beth? How are you feeling?" William walked in first carrying a beautiful bouquet of pink roses with an "it's a girl" balloon. Grace was carrying a box from Build A Bear Workshop. Charlotte had a pink gift bag and Elizabeth could see a stuffed giraffe sticking out at the top, with a pink ribbon tied around it's neck. Grace and William walked up to one side of the bed while Charlotte walked to the other side and stood next to her son.

"Oh, Beth! She's beautiful!" Grace whispered as she peaked over the blanket that Lily was wrapped in. "William, doesn't Lily look just like Beth when she was born?" Grace wiped some tears from her eyes.

William couldn't speak; he was so overcome with emotion as he gazed at his gorgeous granddaughter. He swallowed hard several times and took a handkerchief out of his pocket to brush his tears away.

"Daddy? Are you ok? What are you thinking?" Elizabeth smiled as she looked at the amazed look on her father's face. She could tell he was instantly in love with Lily.

"Oh, my sweet Beth! I have found it so hard to believe that I have two daughters that are now married with children of their own when it seems like just yesterday I was having tea parties with you and your sisters in your play room. Now I have a handsome grandson and a breathtakingly beautiful granddaughter, who does look exactly like her mother, except for her mouth, which is all Jack's. I am so lucky to have a family like all of you, especially after how I treated you last year. I am a blessed man and I thank God for all of you, every single day." The tears continued to stream down his face, as well as Grace's and Elizabeth's.

Jack and Charlotte stood by amazed by the scene in front of them. Charlotte sniffled a little as she tried to keep her emotions in check, but she found herself missing Tom. "Mom, what's wrong?" Jack asked as he noticed a tear slid down her face. His mother never cried.

"I'm just missing your dad right now, Jack. He would have loved having a granddaughter. I can just hear him now talking to his friends about his pretty little Lily." She hugged Jack then turned back to look at Lily again. "She is so beautiful, but how could she not be with such beautiful parents?"

Elizabeth looked over at her husband and mother-in-law and saw a tear going down Jack's cheek. She knew he was thinking of his dad just like his mom was. She watched them hug each other, then separate and both were smiling again. "Who wants to hold Lily first?"

Grace, who had also been watching Jack and Charlotte spoke first. "I think Charlotte should hold her first." She sent a look to William and he nodded, understanding what his wife was telling him.

Charlotte was shocked for a moment then walked over to the bed and gently took Lily from her mother's arms. Lily whimpered a little but quickly settled down as Charlotte bounced her. "Hello there Lily. I'm your grandmother Charlotte. You are such a beautiful little angel." She bent her head and gave her granddaughter a soft kiss on her little head.

Jack gazed at his mother holding his daughter in her arms. The scene before him was almost as beautiful as watching Elizabeth nurse Lily. He couldn't wait to get to his sketch pad and work on the images he had in his head.

Charlotte walked over to Grace so Lily's other grandmother could get a chance to hold her. Lily fussed a bit with the change of arms but quickly calmed down. William stood behind his wife and looked down at his new little granddaughter. He kissed Grace's temple while he watched Lily open her eyes and look around. Her gaze stopped on him and she lifted a hand out from the blanket she was wrapped in. It appeared like she wanted Grandpa to hold her. Grace carefully turned around and handed the baby to her husband.

This time, Lily didn't fuss with the change of hands. She stared right up at her grandfather and it seemed like she was smiling at him. He stroked a finger down her face and was about to put his hand back on her bottom when she grabbed his finger. All the women in the room sighed at the cute sight.

"I think someone loves her Grandpa very much." Elizabeth smiled at her father.

"The feeling is quite mutual." The ecstatic Grandpa replied. He moved to go sit down in the chair in the corner of the room while Charlotte and Grace brought their presents over to the new mother.

"Beth I bought this for Lily and there is a little something just for you in the box." She handed the gift to her daughter.

Elizabeth knew there was a stuffed animal in the box because of where it came from. She opened it and pulled out a teddy bear dressed in a nurse's uniform, including a name tag that read "Lily". "Oh, Mom! The bear is so cute! I can't wait to put it in Lily's room." She reached into the box and pulled out an envelope and opened it up. Inside were what looked like coupons, for different things she might need help with as a new mom and Jack as a new dad. She looked at her mother with questioning eyes.

"Those are for you and Jack to use whenever you feel you need a break. There are coupons for babysitting for however long you may need, a home cooked meal, help with the apartment. Whatever you feel you might need. Charlotte and I came up with the idea after we talked about how life was like for us as new mothers."

Charlotte came over to sit on the edge of the bed with Elizabeth and handed her the bag with the giraffe. "When Jack was a new born, Tom was still new on the force. He was on the night shift so that meant I was up all night with Jack and when Tom came home, he would go to bed. I was basically with Jack 24 hours a day with no break and very little sleep, unless Tom managed to get a weekend day free. I was going stir crazy after just a few weeks. I was so tired and I craved adult conversation. As you know, my mother wasn't around to help me so I was alone. At the time, we lived in an apartment building and the woman who lived next door to me could tell I was nearing the end of my rope. She showed up one afternoon with coupons just like those which would give me time to go take a bath or go get my hair done. One of the other women in the building would babysit Jack for me. It was one of the best gifts I ever received."

"Beth, your grandmother did the same for me. The coupons came in especially handy after I had you since you and Viola are so close in age. It was hard with your father gone on business so much. One day while Charlotte and I were planning your shower we started talking about being new mothers and it came out that we both had people who came up with the brilliant idea of the baby sitting coupons. So we decided to do the same for you."

Elizabeth brushed tears away from her cheeks, then grabbed their hands and squeezed them. "Thank you so much. This means a lot to me, but Charlotte how are you going to be able to baby sit for me when you are a couple of hours away in NH?"

Charlotte glanced towards her son and motioned for him to come over. "I decided that since both my sons are settling in around Boston, that maybe I was time to sell the house and move here as well."

Jack was shocked. "Really? You're going to sell the house?" He hugged his mother as a tear came down his cheek. "Thank you so much, Mom. It means a lot to us that you want to be closer to your granddaughter."

"I'm happy to do it, Jack. I'm glad you like the idea. I wasn't sure if you would be upset that the house you grew up in was going to be sold."

"Well, I will miss it but we have lots of pictures and memories of that house. It's time for another family to make memories there too, don't you think?"

"I agree, Jack. I feel the need to be closer to you boys and to the next generation of Thornton's. I have secured a job in the hospital day care center. I start on June 1."

Elizabeth let out a gasp, then looked towards her husband; he was shocked too but soon a smile grazed his face. She grabbed Charlotte's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you so much for what you are doing. I have been so nervous about leaving Lily in daycare when I return to work. I know that sounds silly given that I work in the same building but knowing you will be there to keep an eye on her takes a big weight off my shoulders." Elizabeth brushed a tear from her cheek.

"You're welcome, Sweetie. I remember how it was when I went back to teaching and the boys were young. Jack was in third grade and Tom was in kindergarten. They were also in the same building I was but I still worried."

Jack hugged his mom again. "So you have a job now, what about a place to live? Have you looked at all?"

"A little, but I haven't seen anything yet. If I have to, I will commute from NH for now until I can find a place."

"William and I may have an answer to that." Grace jumped in. "When you told me you got the job here, William and I talked about it. We feel so much better knowing Lily will have someone close watching out for her when Beth goes back to work that we decided we wanted to help too. We would love it if you would consider moving into our guest house. It has three bedrooms, two baths and a full kitchen. The commute won't be as bad either."

Charlotte glanced at her son to try to figure out what he was thinking. He nodded his head slightly, indicating he thought it was a great idea. "I would love to take you up on your kind offer but I insist on paying rent. Also paying for my utilities."

Lily was getting a little fussy, so William stood up and took her back to her mother. Then he turned to speak to Charlotte. "We were going to take care of that for you but we also thought you might want to pay your own way. We have no problem with that. In fact, we can work with my attorney to set up a lease for you, if you'd like."

"I would, William. I only feel it's fair. Thank you so much for your offer." She surprised everyone by giving William a kiss on the cheek. Then she turned towards Elizabeth when Lily started crying. "Maybe we should leave. We may have been too much for Lily to handle just a few hours after her birth."

William and Grace looked sad but realized Charlotte was right. Not to mention their daughter looked exhausted. "As much as I would love to stay, you're correct. Beth needs to get some rest too." Grace walked over to the bed and gave both her daughter and granddaughter a kiss. William and Charlotte followed suit and then they left, promising to call later.

After they were gone, Jack sat down on the bed and gazed at his wife and daughter. They both looked so tired. He remembered how earlier Lily had quieted down so quickly when she was in his arms while he sang to her. "Let me take her, Sweetheart. She loves to be in my arms while I sing her a lullaby. She falls asleep so quickly when I do."

Elizabeth sat up slowly in bed, grimacing a little at the aches she felt while she handed Lily to her daddy. "I may even fall asleep while you sing to Lily. You have such a good voice. It's so soothing." She settled back into bed and was about to close her eyes when she motioned for him to come closer. "I need a kiss before I can go to sleep. Do you know someone who can give me one?"

Jack grinned at her. "I think I do." He gently leaned down so as not to disturb Lily, who had once again settled down thanks to being in her daddy's strong arms. He then kissed his wife as she requested. "Close your eyes, Sweetheart. Get some rest while she is. It won't be long before she wants to eat again. I will be right here if you need anything."

Elizabeth nodded her head. "I love you, Jack. So much. I can't believe how much love I feel for both you and Lily. I have been dreaming of this day for so long and it's exactly as I imagined it." A tear fell down her cheek as she closed her eyes.

Jack wiped it away and stroked her cheek for a couple of minutes. "Me too, Sweetheart. Me too." He sat down in the chair by the bed. Lily woke up and whimpered but as soon as her daddy began singing to her, she went right back to sleep. Jack knew he should rest too but all he wanted to do was stare at his beautiful daughter and gorgeous wife. Tears fell down his face as he thought about how lucky he was to have them. Life couldn't get any better than this.


End file.
